Why It’s Always Raining In The Movie Se7en: David Fincher’s … – Screen Rant

Summary

The constant rain in David Finchers bleak neo-noir Se7en creates a memorable atmosphere, but there were also practical reasons for employing it in the film. With its dark tone, engrossing plot, and top-notch cast, Se7en is rightly remembered as one of David Finchers best films. The thriller follows Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman), two homicide detectives on the trail of an elusive serial killer whose murders are modeled after the seven deadly sins.

Se7ens dark tone and harrowing ending were considered a serious gamble upon the films release in 1995. After a disastrous test screening, director David Fincher had to battle with the studio to keep the film as it was (via Daily Hind). Ultimately, the venture paid off, revitalizing Finchers career and proving that star Pitt could deliver depth. The rich, almost gothic atmosphere of Se7en is praised to this day, with the use of rain proving one of the most engaging, atmospheric tools in its arsenal, but the downpour wasnt in the original script.

While Andrew Kevin Walkers Se7en screenplay does include some mention of rain, it isnt nearly as heavy nor as constant as in David Finchers final film. While the rain can be heard beating down from the first moments of the finished film, the first line in Walkers script is Sunlight comes through the soot on the windows. Its a striking opening line, but Fincher has practical reasons for disregarding it. As for the heaviness of the rain, this was the only real option for Se7en since light rain is hard to create and even harder to capture on film.

David Fincher cites a primarily pragmatic motivation for the continuous nature of the rain. The '90s were a big decade for Pitt, who was already seeing his star rise thanks to such films as 1994s Interview with the Vampire. As such, the actor was only available to shoot Se7en for 55 days. With such a tight timeframe, Fincher and the crew couldnt afford to lose a day of shooting. As a result, the director chose to have it always raining in the films city sequences so that production wouldnt be thrown off if it started raining for real (via Scraps From The Loft).

While the primary reason for Se7ens constant rainfall boils down to maximized shooting efficiency, the rain powerfully reinforces the films themes and contributes significantly to the visual and sonic atmosphere of the film. Even during interior scenes, the pounding of the rain is hard to ignore, reinforcing the bleak, noirish sense of a city oppressed by a thundering downpour of sin and nihilism, which cant be forgotten even when the characters are safely inside. Likewise, the reflective quality of the rain achieves a black-and-white contrast that feeds into Se7ens noir-esque visual language.

On a thematic level, the motif of rain feeds into Se7ens biblical allusions. Serial killer John Does image of himself as a weapon of God sent to eradicate sin is corroborated by the heavy rain, which calls to mind the Old Testament story of Noahs Ark and the torrential flood which was intended to wipe the earth clean of the sins of humanity. After John Doe turns himself in on the 6th day of Se7en, the rain ceases, signaling that the flood-like killings have come to an end. Se7ens climactic ending takes place in an arid landscape beneath a cloudless sky where, as with Noahs Ark, the floods have finally receded.

Sources: Daily Hind, Scraps From The Loft

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