About Seven People Watching Seven

Post 659:

            For the long weekend in which we celebrate that we do things as members of society, I went to a lake house, did some fishing and boating, played some golf with a group of my homies.

            It was delightful.

            There was very little drinking involved, which is to say, there was a lot of drinking. But only the good stuff, so totally okay.

            We had just finished up something and were about to do something else, not really sure, and I joined three or four of the guys that were watching TV. The conclusion of Seven was on, and one by one I’m pretty sure everybody was joining and becoming locked on the screen. By the time the real tension was hitting, there we were; all seven of us.

Cheese. But seriously, this is a rare thing. We were in fun mode, and watching movies isn’t exactly on anyone’s wish list when it’s basically an outdoor-good-times-all-out hang session.

But I thought I’d use it as a general tip of the cap to the screenplay and performances. It’s a simple enough scene, but if you go back and watch the direction, David Fincher manages to keep the actor’s faces in shadow even though it’s an extremely bright shoot. Really detailed. Awkward angles, but well planned out. Brad Pitt goes all in, as does Morgan Freeman. The philosophical and moral dilemma that the whole movie has moved toward is filled with so much emotion and weight. You feel like you are involved in the decision-making process.

It’s the sort of ending that makes a bunch of hooligans sit down and shut up for little while, and it’s the sort of ending that makes me want to be a writer even though it’s very likely I’ll never come up with an ending that comes together so perfectly.

But I won’t know if I don’t try.

Thanks, good stories. You’re the best.

Cheers and see you after.