Postmodernism in David Fincher’s Seven

I was unable to find a different clip to those which have already been posted, so I thought it would be more interesting to consider some of the postmodernist traits that are obvious within Seven rather than repeating points that have already been made about the clips.

One postmodernist issue that I feel is contemplated within Seven is the Lyotard’s belief in the end of the grand narrative. The society portrayed in the film is one of fragmentation and immorality where the truth has disappeared. Whilst there is no argument that John Doe is a criminally insane serial killer, his actions answer those of the society in which he exists; he acts to rid the city of those who he believes employ low morals, to clean up society.

This feeling of an imperfect society is also an example of retro and nostalgia; John Doe yearns for a better society, a past society. Doe echoes postmodernism by perhaps looking backwards to a better past which he intends to recreate through his murderous actions.

The idea of simulation is also an interesting one to consider within Seven. Whilst this may not be such an obvious example, it is an underlying tone that runs throughout the film. The city in which the text is set is not an original; it is a mixture of old style Northern cities such as New York and Chicago, rainy and bleak. This fictitious setting is a work of imagination, but also a copy of certain places which already exist. This setting also represents the death of reality; the rain of the city is replaced by desert in the dénouement, a situation that just couldn’t exist in reality. Whilst this fabricated situation could never truly happen, within the film it takes on a reality of itself. The bleakness of the action is mirrored by the two extreme weather conditions that are presented in the film, and the rain and the desert somehow make sense within the text, and on first watching I found that I didn’t even notice this juxtaposition. It was only in later viewings that I picked up on the inconsistency.

Seven as a postmodernist text is an interesting one to consider. It employs many postmodernist themes in order to project the society in which the narrative takes place. The narrative reflects a postmodern society, and the dangers that can be present within a society such as this. It highlights the negative aspects of certain elements of postmodernity, and through its bleak imagery and narrative portrays a society which, in reality, is no longer a society. It highlights the dangers of the fragmentation of contemporary culture, and how this fracturing of society can result in dislocation, distrust, and, in this instance, tragedy.