Seven Days

A parent should never have to bury their child. It's even worse when that child is taken away by a stranger's hand. Seven Days is a French film that starts with a well off doctor and his family. Then his daughter is brutally raped and murdered by a child molester. We see the parents try to make sense of such a tragic event. Their grief and pain is almost unbearable, until the doctor snaps. Instead of letting the justice system put the man away for 25 years, the doctor chooses to kidnap, torture and later contemplates murdering his child's killer.

This was an interesting movie. It is hard to watch, and it never lets up. But it makes yourself wonder if you would take the same action if anything as horrible as that ever happened to you. If a loved one is murdered, is it enough knowing their killer is behind bars? Or would you need your own brand of justice? The movie asks that question, and I don't think any of us could easily answer. It's heartbreaking to see a family ripped apart by grief and tragedy, but it's worse when one side handles such things in such an extreme way.

As a viewer, you want the murderer to pay for his crimes. However, you don't want the doctor to be the one to dole out the punishment. I thought this was excellent. The plot is gruesome, but the pacing and acting makes you feel like you're watching a real event play out. And it also makes you wonder if you would ever do the same if you were in the doctor's shoes. I give this 5 out of 5. As much as I love mindless gore, it's interesting to see gore as a tool of revenge. Give this a shot. It'll be worth your time.