I think his act of suicide was an unwise decision on his part. Very early on I saw through the fact that he’s burning all bridges to do what gives him purpose and meaning to his life again. In his mind, it’s about redemption, having taken 7 lives in the accident, that he repay it with “1 pound of flesh” to each, therefore letting go of the burden in the end. Hence 7 pounds (Remember the Merchant of Venice reference here).

So there, my stance is very clear on his idea of suicide to save others. Was it selfish? Yes. But that’s because everything we do in life is selfish no matter how noble it seems. Mother Theresa was a selfish person. She devoted her life to please god. Nothing wrong there, just to make a point that we are all driven according to what serves us. There’s a lot of selfishness in selflessness if you think about it.

I’m more interested about the evolution of his decision when he embarked on this journey of his. In the beginning, he can be very mechanical on his evaluation of his benefactors. Like he was just getting by with completing his final mission. At the same time, he answers “I’m really good” when asked how he’s been doing. There’s delusion in all of that. Only when he’s alone could you tell how miserable he feels. But when he’s with other people and being of some kind of service, it distracts him long enough to live his life normally.

The scene where he ran back to the hospital was defining. When he asked the doctor if Emily’s condition is any more optimistic than the day before, he was checking the possibility of him being alive for her to be together with. His motivations for his suicide is somewhat changed, however the urgency to commit was greater than ever with his brother’s presence.

It’s more sad than touching that Tim had to choose this faith. It’s not like he’s terminally ill, he had a choice. And I actually felt… “What a waste. All that intellect, and drive, and talent. He could have spent the rest of his life serving others and learning to live with himself.”

Do I feel others could have saved him? Like his best friend who played along? Or his brother? Or Emily herself? Yes. However, they are all dealing with demons of their own, and even if they want Tim to live, he wasn’t letting them into the truth.

Finally, there is this important question that one should consider… Putting intentions and the morality of the suicide aside, what would the consequence be if the suicide failed?

e.g. What if Tim’s heart was damaged during the suicide? What if he had a turn of heart last minute? Or what if he survived the suicide?

If he survived the suicide, Emily gets no heart, Ezra gets no eyes, and Ben would have to take care of his brother for the rest of his life.

I would love to hear more thought provoking questions from others. Thanks.

Warmly,
- Tian Yan

P.S. At the end of the film when Emily’s heart was pounding in the background, I actually felt the pain pounding in my chest. The effect was visceral and I felt it. Nice touch there.

Having said that, let’s hope that this movie doesn’t give people ideas and cause it to become a reality. That would be really tragic for all those involved.

thanks for your comments!

I definitely agree that Seven Pounds does highlight how much need is out there. All it took was for one man to look around and he was easily able to find so many people in need. No one can argue that the good Ben did in his life was not for the better (despite his questionable motives).

Whenever we judge a particular message from the media, we can obvious banter back and forth and talk about whether or not we are giving it too much scrutiny or if the subtle messages truly does impact our way of thinking but…

It is one thing to simply make a comment or judge something by feeling. That is easy. “That Rated R movie has ridiculous violence and a unwarranted sex scene, but hey it won’t affect me that much. What is the big deal?” However, it is a completely another thing to think about one’s own younger sister or brother or perhaps one’s own son and daughter as Vanessa does above.

Would you let your child watch that same movie? Do you really think your child would not be impacted if they kept watching some things? Do you want your child to be “not affected” and “deadened” do it like you have? Suddenly it is personal. Suddenly you are more conservative and more careful. I personally think this is the best way to judge a piece of media and it’s message. Truth comes out when we know it may affect the ones we love.

As I discussed the movie with my sisters they came to the very conclusion I dreaded, Ben had done something good to help people. They completely missed the point that Ben had committed suicide because everything he had been doing up o that point was driven by guilt. If my sisters are thinking this, I am sure there are thousands of others who might end at that same conclusion….and I honestly think this is a dangerous place to be.