Zodiviews: Seven Pounds

Meet Tim Thomas. He will lie to you and tell you his name Ben Thomas. This is actually his brother, who works for the IRS. It’s a tale of stolen identity, love and giving back after something terribly tragic.

Let me explain. The movie opens up with Ben (Smith,) calling 9-1-1 and reporting a suicide. His own. Why? Well it takes you back to explain why Tim Thomas quit his job as aeronautical engineer and begin to take on his brother Ben Thomas’ IRS identity.  Tim Thomas was in a fatal wreck that killed a family of six in a van and his wife. He moved in with his brother’s family and from there he became Ben Thomas.

The title suggest that it is linked to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice in which a debtor needs to pay back a pound of flesh. If you think about this bit of information and what I just stated a moment ago, the movie will make sense to you. However, you don’t realize this until it pans back to Tim/Ben making his call to 9-1-1.

He begins to donate parts of his body to people who truly deserve it. Starting with his brother who needed a lung transplant. He donates half his liver to a Child Services Work named Holly, who he contacts two weeks before his death and asks if there anyone she knows who needs his help.

Meeting Ezra

Tim/Ben then calls a blind, vegetarian, meat salesman named Ezra, attempts to anger him to see if he is worthy of a donation. Ezra remained calm and disconnected the line, though nearly on the brink of tears with what Tim/Ben Thomas said to him.

He also donates bone marrow to a little boy as well a kidney to a junior hockey coach.

When he called Holly to get the name of someone who needed help he was met with resistance of a woman who was too scared to leave her abusive boyfriend. After being being beaten, she calls Tim/Ben and begs him for help. The help she receives is something that any person would die for happily; a fully furnished beach front house. All for nothing, just to save this woman and her two children from a life of hell. He had papers drawn up and given to the woman, who only needed to sign the dotted line.

The love interest is really touching. Emily Posa is a woman who is self employed as a greeting card printer.  She has a heart condition and rare blood type. This however doesn’t weaken her spirit. Tim doesn’t count on falling in love with this woman, and keeps going to make sure that his plans continue forward. Contacting a close friends of his to make sure that the vital pieces of himself are given to the correct people. I’m sure you can see which part of himself, Tim, gave to Emily.

In the end, the real Ben Thomas finally catches up to his brother. Ben demands his credentials back and Tim returns to the hotel to finalize the rest of his plans.  Filling a tub with ice and cold water, he climbs in and adds his pet jellyfish to water. A Box Jellyfish, one of the deadliest jellyfish in world.

His good friend, and executor Dan makes sure that Emily receives his heart and Ezra recieves his corneas.

While the movie is confusing at first, it makes what is going on very clear at the end and why Tim Thomas did what he did. The guilt he carried with him and the way he gave back for the seven people who died because he was talking on his cell phone. This movie isn’t one to be taken lightly, there are some funny parts, but on a whole it is a very serious and touching movie.

Playing a role like this was difficult for Smith to take on and off. It stuck to him as did the seriousness of what the character was doing.

“Usually with the films that I make there are ideas that I connect to, but lately I’ve been dealing with the bittersweet in life because it feels more natural. You don’t ever get it really the way you want in life. That really fascinates me. As an actor, there are certain parts of a character that you create, and you train yourself to have those reactions and then it becomes hard to stop them when the role is over. You have to retrain yourself. My character in this film is like hot grits. You know you can’t shake them off and when you do, it hurts”

I’ve seen Smith in several very serious roles, I am Legend,  Persuit of Happyness and now this. Once again, Mr. Smith has impressed me with his acting skills, taking on serious roles that make you think, what if this was me?

Keep it real and rockin’

❤