Seven Pounds

The new drama directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Will Smith, where the duo reunites after a successful "Pursuit of Happyness", is more than worthy of praise.

Seven Pounds is a tale of redemption and atonement delivered as an emotional symphony, where piece by piece the audience gets to reconstruct shattering events that lead to the climax of the story.

A man with an undisclosed yet apparently heavy burden sets out to change the lives of seven strangers. Along the way he is faced with challenging decisions, with re-examination of one's self and basic human nature exponentially magnified by circumstance. As he spirals on his journey, he experiences emotions and doubts that weren't exactly part of the plan, while his actions lead directly to the point of no return.

Each character has an entire story of their own and we instantly begin to care about them. Amongst the supporting cast, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Berry Pepper and Woody Harrelson all deliver amazing performances. Smith has definitely proved with his portrayal of Ben Thomas that he deserves an Oscar.

Because of the heaviness and sensitivity of this film I cannot recommend it to a young audience, but for everyone else out there, this is a must see.

For the amount of substance found in this story, I give it a pound. I also give it another, for the effectiveness of the screenplay. It merits one for its heartfelt performances. Another pound goes for bringing a beautiful vision to life through its cinematography. Muccino gets a pound for skilful direction. The overall meaning and message deserve their own. Above all, one heavy pound goes for being the first truly touching and thought provoking film of the year.

It gets seven pounds for its glory and it is zero pounds shy of a masterpiece.