Se7en: Exercising control over the uncontrollable
If an illusion is convincing, it can be as real as anything else in the world. It can influence behavior, change decisions and even, destroy logic. One such illusion is control. Control is nothing more than the self-belief that one knows the course of action that will transpire and one has a say in the matter. If the belief is strong enough, there is little to challenge the illusion of control and call it something other than real.
When language was formally invented, it is safe to say that one of the most exciting words the inventor must have been ‘control’. As exciting as it must have been, it must have been equally empowering. For the first time, one was able to express one’s innate ability to have a definitive say in the destiny of certain things. That being said, after the initial joy of knowing control, one has to also come to terms with the fact that not everything is under one control. And as illusions can be, it can play confusing tricks on one’s mind. Sometimes those tricks can elevate, or times, they will send one crashing down.
In David Fincher’s nerve-wracking thriller Se7en, two detectives are tasked with an investigation of a series of grizzly murders that happen in the city of New York. As the film progresses, one realizes that this not an ordinary series of murders, but a carefully constructed series of murders, using the seven deadly sins from the Bible as the motif for the murders. David Fincher’s trademark fast cutting style is abandoned in this film as there are long shots, ruminative moments and a depressing blue tinge in every shot.
When John Doe finally walks into the police station, his hands and shirt covered in blood, his fingers covered with bandaids, it is the beginning of the final act of his self-proclaimed, masterful body of work. With 2 murders to go, the police are left baffled when the killer decides to surrender himself and even go to the extent of revealing the location of the last victim. At the finale, he makes his escape in the fashion that he deemed most suited and that too, by the hands of the one who came closest to apprehending him.
Throughout the film, John Doe is built up with 2 identities by the 2 detectives. Detective Somerset, the retiring veteran, believes the murderer’s work to be inspired by some of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. Somerset believes that, in some perverted way, he is paying respect to writers like Dante, Chaucer, and Milton through these series of grizzly murders. Detective Mills, the brash new-to-the-city greenhorn, believes in a simpler story. He believes John Doe to be a deranged psychopath with no real motive other than the desire to be known for these murders. He doesn’t see any depth in John Doe nor in the thoughts that guide him to murder.
Eventually, both these identities merge together in the penultimate conversation that the three of them have in the police car, en route to the location of the final murder. It is here that John Doe exemplifies his genius and how he really was in control of the entire situation, even when he was handcuffed and remanded to a cell.
Even while sitting behind bars, John Doe (played brilliantly by now-exiled Kevin Spacey) is fully aware about the storm of chaos and uncertainty that he has caused. Even though he no longer physically controls anything, his emotional play for control through fear and outright shock plays everything into his hands. He manipulates them so well that when he decides to exit, it is the detectives themselves who help him out.
In trying to control the uncontrollable, understanding and accepting one’s objective is essential. In fact, it is the only way that one can remain in control while losing control. By being clear on what one had set out to achieve, one becomes somewhat non-reliant on one’s own actions but uses the actions of others to fulfill the said-objective. Once a series of events have been set in motion and there are those who are interested in them, one’s grasp on the situation has only subjective concern. The interested ones actively become a part of the narrative, whether they like it or not. As exemplified by John Doe, even though he had started the killing spree, he ensured that it was someone else who ended it.
How can one control where and when the police might show up? How does one control the thoughts of others? How does one ensure the action they desire from others without forcing them physically? These are all questions that occur to many as the uncontrollable actions of the world.
The thing is that everyone desires control and everyone feels insecure when they lose it. But instead of thinking of it as control, one should ideally look at every action as a means to fulfill an objective. In doing so, one can be comfortable letting go, while looking at the bigger picture if there are other elements aligning to fulfill the said-objective. This is one thing all great dewarists would agree to.
In the example of John Doe, his fate had been sealed when he decided to walk through the doors of the police station. But it was because of the unexpected nature of that action that he was able to rule the minds of his captors and exercise control, where it seemed most unlikely.
