American Beauty (Blog Entry 12)

There are few movies that have made as lasting of an impact on me as American Beauty.

“I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it`s hard to stay mad when there`s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I`m seeing it all at once, and it`s too much. My heart fills up like balloon that`s about to burst. And then I remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I`m talking about, I`m sure. But don`t worry. You will someday.”

This movie makes me feel something indescribable. The last time I watched it was in the beginning of June and I feel like it’s been haunting the back of my mind ever since. There’s so much in this movie to think about, I could write entire novels and never repeat myself. For those of you who haven’t seen it, go watch it and try to keep an open mind or you probably won’t understand it. This is the kind of movie that people either become obsessed with or don’t understand and there’s nothing in between.

American Beauty is about a family living in the suburbs. The dad falls in love with his daughter’s best friend, a lot of traumatic things happen, mostly because of lies and misunderstandings, and the dad ends up dead. But it’s really not the type of story you can summarize, because this story is about the tiny unnoticed details, the everyday things in life people try to ignore, like trash bags floating through the air, or  the insecurities of teenagers. I believe the director, Sam Mendes, and the author, Alan Ball, created this film to show people how beautiful the world is. This might sound strange because so many horrific things happen in the movie, but despite that, or maybe because of it, it’s a beautiful story.

The way Mendes and Ball showed the beauty of this messed up situation was through little realities that peaked through the big picture. The big picture of this story is not beautiful. The depth with which the story is told is the main thing that really sets this movie apart from others. The audience sees their insecurities, desires, fears, hopes, self hate, lusts and loves. All of the characters are displayed in this naked, vulnerable state that most people never show to others. The characters break down completely, or lust after forbidden things, or bare their souls to one another. Visually this is done by keeping the movie at a slow pace, at the pace of everyday life in the suburbs. Then it shows the characters in a way that doesn’t feel like a movie, it feels more like someone has somehow gotten a window into their lives and their minds. The movie shows scenes not normally depicted, scenes that would normally be cut out for being too mundane. It also shows the main character’s, the dad’s, fantasies and memories. Though the audience can’t help but hate him for his despicable and disgusting actions, they feel a connection with him, so you almost feel sorry for him at the end.

The roses used throughout the movie are a strong symbol, and they have become intimately tied into it. I think they symbolize life, and the suffering and everything else that comes along with it. They could also be a symbol of lust, because they are often used in the fantasy scenes. The music is another thing that really ties the whole movie together. It’s soft and bittersweet, almost melancholy, but incredibly pretty. I think the music really takes the movie to another level, it takes it from just another movie to something that will haunt you for the rest of your life. I could keep going, really, because there’s so much in this movie that makes it amazing that I feel like I’ve barely started talking about it.

Here’s a link to a couple of scenes from it