An Analysis of The Movie, Life in Seven Pounds, Featuring Will Smith

The director Will Smith has continuously been credited for the uniqueness of his many films. The movie Seven Pounds starring Will Smith has a message which leaves the audience indecisive about their future and how it can possibly change in an instant affecting them in many ways. The main message in the movie is focused on what is each person’s mission in life, leaving the audience thinking, what is their purposes of life. Ben Thomas, Will Smith, killed seven lives in a tragic car accident and it changes his view of life. The accident caused Ben to feel as if he needed to give back and he decided that he would change seven stranger’s lives. In order to complete his mission he forgets about the laws of man but he searches for the seven strangers’ with great effort assuring that their circumstances are far from ordinary.

Ben Thomas acts as an IRS agent, stealing his brother’s badge, and gives people extended tax breaks they are not legally entitled to. Emily Posas was one of the client’s that received a tax extension. She has a rare blood type and is dying of a heart disease. Ben fell in love with her before her death but he did not only share his love and help with her, he shared it with the six other strangers. Although his idea was illegal it did not matter because she was going to die and her taxes would not have mattered anymore. Emily thanked him for doing what she called a “big favor” for her. She thanked him because she did not know that him giving her a tax extension was illegal, therefore, I feel that that just caused him to more guilt.

The movie ends with Ben Thomas committing suicide and having it set up so that every major organ of his body is donated to others in effort to change their lives. While he was alive, he donated a piece of his liver to a social worker who then referred an abused woman and her children for help. Before he committed suicide, he arranged a heart transplant to save a woman’s life with his best friend, Dan, who is a heart surgeon. Dan did not assist with Ben’s suicide but he knew what was going to happen and chose to prepare everything for the heart transplant assuring that everything went smoothly. As a best friend, I feel he did not make the best decision but it is also a hard situation because of how Ben felt deep down inside for what he did. He did save many lives with all the organs he donated and regardless of what anyone told Ben, he was going to kill himself because after he gave to the seven strangers and others, he still was not able to live with guilt. His idea was to give people who were not given a fair chance a second chance, trying to make up for what he did but knowing that no matter what he did it will not replace the lives of the seven innocent people he killed.

After watching the movie I was still left with a question, “why does it take an accident for him to feel as if he has to give?” In a way I understood how Ben Thomas felt, taking seven lives is a big deal. But, regardless of what you do in this would, I believe everyone should always give in order to get. Ben did so much to try and make up for what he did and everything he did was helpful to others showing that he cared and he was definitely a loving person, but helping others will not replace the lives he took. Although it was an accident, he should have been more careful. Committing suicide after committing crimes, violating the laws, leaves the world in question as to what is going on. Those people he helped can suffer in the long run because what he did was illegal and he would not be there to help them. But, my opinion is my opinion because Ben had different experiences that I never had. That leaves me clueless of how he felt deep down inside. I can predict how he felt but what I seen in the film but everyone will interpret his feeling in a different way. There may be people out there who feel as if it is ok to feel that you do not need to give to others unless something happens.

Seven Pounds leaves a good message to the audience allowing them to come to his or her own conclusion on how to interpret it. Each individual can have a different perspective on the movie, comparing it in different situations. The message of reaching your personal mission in this life is broken up into seven different situations, which allows each viewer to take away their individual interoperation of the film’s main message. The film always leaves many messages for the audience, and it will leave anyone with a lump in their throat. The main message to the audience is what their purpose of life is. This movie demonstrates a good example of how anyone can be put into a situation at any given time and it can affect your entire life. Many people do not expect certain things to happen to them and they may not deserve it but, things happen to anyone.