David Fincher does not shy away from depicting grotesque and horrifying scenes to present a message; furthermore, Fincher’s portrayal of “planned” violence, use of lighting, and choice of music, and close attention to sound evokes a sense of fear and disgust towards each of the individually portrayed “sins”. In Se7en, Fincher conceptualizes John Doe, a sadistic and self-glorified serial killer; moreover, he presents Doe as a deeply evil character that truly believes that he is “opening the world’s eyes” to the sins that they face but cannot see. This evil that radiates from John Doe is clearly seen through the horrific crimes he commits and the messages he is trying to proclaim for all the world to hear. David Fincher’s characterization of John Doe’s evil and sensitivity to light, music, …show more content…
Fincher perfectly aligns this scene with the overall standards of evil throughout the film by accentuating the sense of unnecessary violence and discomfort. In each “sin” Fincher portrays, it is interesting to note how the viewer only sees the aftermath. Fincher’s choice of not showing the initial acts of violence in each of these “scenes” amplifies the effect. It forces the viewer to imagine Doe’s acts as opposed to simply showing exactly what happened. For Fincher, the sense of evil evolves from the portrayal of the stereotypical “villain” committing acts of mindless violence to an elevated sense of evil with the “villain” meticulously planning and executing his acts to reveal the message he intends for the viewers to uncover. The “sloth scene” depicts the deadly sin that refers to laziness. In this scene Fincher immediately sets the mood with lighting and sound. Fincher sets this scene as gloomy, sad, and depressing with low lights and