Se7en Essay

What makes a thriller and how is this evident in 'Se7en'? A macro/micro analysis of 'Se7en' (David Fincher, 1995).


In this essay, I am going to be writing about how the macro and micro elements in the film 'Se7en' help to convey the fact that it is a thriller. A thriller is a genre of film, book or television that uses suspense and tension to make the audience feel anxious, insecure, terrified and sometimes even excited. The thriller genre is broken down in to a variety of different sub genres such as crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, action thrillers, erotic thrillers, political thrillers etc. The film 'Se7en' falls under both crime thriller and psychological thriller.


The target audience for this film may vary. However, the British Board of Film Classification have given 'Se7en' an age rating of 18 due to the bad language and disturbing scenes in the film. To be specific, I would say the audiences ages range from about 20 to about 55. The reason I say this is because detective Mills looks roughly about 25 or 30 and detective Somerset looks roughly about 50. The age and the gender of the protagonist in the film could affect the audience. People within the protagonist's age range may feel that they can identify with them and would therefore find the movie interesting to watch.


The narrative of any film is a systematic framework of series or events, real of invented, which tell a story. The film 'Se7en' has a linear narrative which runs in a chronological order throughout the film. The end of the film has a closed narration, which means all the narrative events have been explained and a resolution has been achieved. This is evident towards the end of scene 36 where detective Mills shoots and kills the antagonist. This creates a sense of relief for the audience as they no longer feel under threat. A closed narration also tells us that it is very unlikely that a sequel to the film will be made. In the film, there are a series of murders that are linked together by the seven deadly sins. The narrative of the film allows the audience to follow detective Mills and detective Somerset, giving the audience some responsibility and making them feel more involved in the sense that they need to think like a detective to work out what is happening in the film. The narrative in the majority of the film is restricted. This means that we, as the audience, have limited access to the narrative and know as much as the characters in the film do. This creates enigma and tension for the audience as they wonder what will happen next and it holds their interest. When clues and mysteries are eventually revealed, we feel tense and restless as do the characters. For example, in the sloth scene, a police man leans over the body of the victim. Little do the audience and the characters know, the victim is still alive, which is then shown when the body begins to move. This is an example of a red herring. A red herring is a device used to mislead the audience. However, the film also has an omniscient narration. This is evident in scene 36 where detective Somerset receives the box sent for detective Mills. We, as the audience immediately know that something unpleasant is going to be inside the box, as the antagonist was eager for the delivery, but detective Mills has no idea of what is in the box. This builds up suspense for the audience because we see detective Somerset's reaction when he opens the box, but we do not get to see what is inside of the box. The audience only directly find out what is inside the box when the antagonist tell detective Mills, which is another example of restricted narration. This then triggers the action code because when detective Mills finds out what was inside of the box, he shoots the antagonist in the head. This makes the antagonist a psychological manipulator, as he uses detective Mills to benefit his needs.


Although the two protagonists, detective Mills and detective Somerset work together, they are presented quite differently. Detective Somerset's attire is more formal. He wears a long, light coloured coat which is a sense connotes he tranquil persona. Detective Somerset comes across as more relaxed and calm, and it seems like he takes more pride in his work. Somerset's mind is set on investigating and gathering clues. However, detective Mills mind is set more on actually capturing the antagonist. Mill's attire is more casual. He wears a long dark coat and has untidy hair and a rugged beard. This reflects his agitated persona. Detective Mills is almost constantly swearing and is mostly frustrated. This isn't necessarily a negative representation of Mills, it just shows that he is ardent of his job.


One way in which David Fincher presents 'Se7en' as a thriller is through the production design of the film. The film is located in an eerie, bleak, unidentified city of urban decay. This creates a threatening and dangerous atmosphere for the audience as we get the impression that the city is an unwelcoming, corrupt place. The city is plagued with constant rain which again reflects the idea of the city being an unfriendly and miserable area. The rain also represents the troubles that detective Mills and detective Somerset are having with finding out who the serial killer is. But the film isn't always filmed outside in the city.


The film is also set in peoples homes. In the short scene just before the introductory credits, a man has been murdered in his own home by his wife. This raises a number of questions from the audience and creates enigma codes, as the murder appears to be irrelevant to the other murders in the film. This also makes the audience feel insecure because the fact that someone you have committed your life to, could then turn around and murder you in the safety of your own home, is quite a horrifying thought for anybody. A house is meant to be a safe place for the people living in it. This scene clearly contradicts that idea.


Fincher also presents his film 'Se7en' as a thriller through the use of sound. Diegetic sounds are consistently used to provoke a reaction from the character. Diegetic sounds have evidently been used in scene 22 where detective Mills and detective Somerset are chasing the antagonist. Many different diegetic sounds have been used here such as gun shots, smashing windows, dialogue, footsteps, the rain outside, traffic and heavy breathing. These diegetic sounds help to create a tense atmosphere for the audience. The reason we, as the audience feel tense is because we are eagerly anticipating what will happen next. The sound of the gunshots makes the audience wonder if someone is going to get hurt or killed. However, non diegetic music is also used in scene 22 to create tension and suspense. Non diegetic music usually implies that something exciting or dangerous in the film is about to take place, As soon as the antagonist shoots at detective Mills and detective Somerset, the non diegetic music starts playing. As the chase progresses, the music gradually builds up and gets louder. This creates a tense and dramatic atmosphere for the audience as we anticipate the outcome of the chase.


Cinematography is also an important concept, which helps the present 'Se7en' as a thriller. Cinematography is the choice of lighting, camera angles and camera shots. The majority of the film is recorded using low key lighting to show the audience that the city if a filthy, dark place. This creates a sense of mystery, threat and tension for the audience as the city itself, connotes which kind of people live in it. Hoever, in contrast to the low key lighting, high key lighting is used in a lot of scenes as well. This helps to bring the audience back to reality, but gives them a false sense of security. For example, in scene 12 where detective Mills and his wife are having detective Somerset over for dinner, the house is bright and everything can be seen clearly. The audience then begin to feel safe and let their guards down. The whole room suddenly then begins to shake and detective Somerset looks all around the room. We can tell that detective Somerset feels insecure thought his facial expressions and this feeling is mutual with the audience.


Close ups are used to show the audience the characters emotional state at that moment of time. Close ups are also very useful especially in thrillers because they restrict the broader scene. This helps to create tension and suspense as the audience wonder what is going on in the background behind the character. Also, point of view shots are used quite a lot in thrillers, especially in the dramatic scenes. They are used to amplify the intensity of the scene. For example, in scene 22, the chase scene, we are able to see the chase through detective Mills eyes. This boosts the excitement of the chase as the audience feel more involved in the film. Low angle shots are shots that are taken below the subject and are normally used to show the audience that the character is superior. This is shown towards the end of scene 22 where the antagonist is pointing a gun at detective Mills head. Here, the cinematographer has combined a point of view shot, a close up and a low angle shot to amplify the fact that the antagonist is dominant in this scene. The cinematographer has cleverly managed to use a close up shot of the antagonist without revealing their identity. This makes the audience feel uneasy and tense because even at a very close distance, we are still unable to identify the antagonist.


In conclusion, due to the micro and macro elements that we see in the film 'Se7en', it is most definitely a typical thriller. These conventions and elements evidently help to build up suspense and create tension for the audience.