Of Suicide and Seven Pounds

I was able to watch "Seven Pounds" before it hit the theaters here in the Philippines, and I find it as moving as Forrest Gump. It was somehow thought-provoking, as the notion of suicide being sinful is now in question: Is suicide indeed sinful if the purpose of it is to give another person another chance in life?

Tim Thomas (Will Smith) is a aeronautics engineer who has everything - a beautiful wife, a dynamic career, a jet-paced life and a gorgeous beach house. By answering one phone call his life turned upside-down -- he lost his wife and six other strangers in a car accident. Unable to forgive himself for losing the lives of seven people, he posed as an IRS agent using his brother's identity, and gave seven strangers a new lease in life. He gave a part of his lungs to his brother Ben; a part of his liver to Holly, a child services worker; his beach house to Connie, an abused mother of two; his kidney to George, a junior hockey player; his bone marrow to a young boy named Nicholas; his eyes to Ezra, a blind meat salesman and finally, his heart to Emily Posa, a self-employed greeting card printer. What complicated things was the fact that he fell in love with Emily just beofre he decided it was "time" to give up his life for her to have a second lease in life. He contacted his best friend Dan to make the final arrangements.

The story ended with Emily learning that Tim was the one who donated his heart for her, and meeting up with Ezra at a concert. Having full restoration of his eyes, Ezra played piano at a concert and when Emily saw Ezra's eyes, she knew she was looking at Tim's. She cried, and Ezra recognized her as one of those who received Tim's generosity.

The movie started with a phone call, as Tim, who was posing as Ben Thomas, called 911 and reported that there was a suicide at a motel, and the one who committed the suicide was him. The next series of events revolved in his investigations whether the people whom he was planning to give out his generosity were deserving people. There were also scenes that his brother, the real Ben, was asking for his whereabouts, on which Tim was elusive. Things complicated when he was beginning to fall in love with Emily. He was getting more and more involved with her -- staying at the hospital when she called up for company, fixing her Heidelberg printer so she can work again, and taking care of her dog while she was in the hospital.

One may wonder why he was keeping a deadly jellyfish in his motel room; it turned out to be his passport for suicide. By placing the jellyfish in a tub of ice and water where he soaked himself, he sealed his fate. If suicide is a sin, then you would think, is this wrong?

After seeing the film, I immediately associated this with The Merchant of Venice, wherein Antonio agreed to pay a pound of flesh to Shylock in payment of the loan made by Bassanio. Basically, in payment for the loss of seven lives in that fateful accident, Tim looked for seven strangers to give out himself for. Basically, a pound of flesh for every person, although in this case, his possession (the beach house) was given to Connie.

Back to suicide. If suicide is a sin, did Tim committed such, when his purpose was to give out his life for Emily and Ezra? In my personal opinion, it may appear wrong, but I think what he did is giving up his life so that others may live. Christ did say in the Gospel (John 15: 13), "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends". I believe this is what he did, laying his life for these people.

My verdict? Four out of five candies. :)