Seven Pounds Psychology

Seven Pounds (2008), directed by Gabriele Muccino, follows the mysterious Tim Thomas (Will Smith) on his journey to right a past mistake that shaped his entire future. Tim poses as an IRS agent, going by the name Ben Thomas, and begins to investigate several people in order to see if they are worthy of a “gift” he wants to give them. Tim soon develops feelings for Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) who suffers from a could-be fatal heart condition. As the film progresses, the audience is still not fully aware of Tim’s motives behind any of his actions. It is not until the last couple of scenes that we realize Tim has been trying to repay a debt he feels he owes to the world by giving seven people a new chance at life to make up for the seven others lives that ended from a car wreck he caused. It is ironic the writers had Tim pose as an IRS agent, a person who investigates citizen who owe the government money, when it is he who is in debt to the others.

Smith’s character has become consumed with guilt because a car wreck that has transpired. The motives behind Tim’s actions the film narrows guilt down into the category of survivor’s guilt because he caused the accident and was the only survivor. People that survive any traumatic ordeal involving death begin to question what they did wrong in the situation and how they could have changed the outcome. Tim has concluded he must sacrifice his life in order to gift seven ill people with his organs. Tim feels the seven lives he saves will make up for the seven lives he helped end and clear his guilty