American Beauty

 American Beauty

In a nutshell: Lester Burnham, a hapless, well-to-do husband and father, lives and works in his suburbanised existence. When his teenage daughters best friend makes a pass at him, and his next door neighbours young son offers him some weed, Lester’s youth, spontaneity and passion for life are reignited. He then breaks all the rules of career, marriage and society’s norms to live life on his own terms. This throws the lives of everyone around him into disarray, especially his wife, and Lester learns the ultimate lesson – freedom has its price.

What was different/original about it? American Beauty was a welcome-back addition to the theatre-styled family dramas which were more frequent during the 70’s and 80’s. From the point of view of the man in the family, American Beauty takes us into Lester’s world the way he sees it, in a beautiful, haunting and unusual way. Perhaps the most famous imagery from the film, repeatedly copied and parodied in movies since, is when Lester lies in bed at night, “awakened” from his self-created coma; he looks up to the ceiling like a giddy child, fantasizing about his daughters best friend, who seductively looks at him from a bed of roses. She is naked, covered only in part by the red flowers all around her. The petals softly and slowly fall down from above, landing on Lester’s face – “Spectacular” he says and falls asleep. It’s surreal, strange and sensual. The message at the core of this brilliant film was “Look closer…”, inspiring viewers to see the hidden beauty in everything around them.  

How did it change movies? In the wake of American Beauty, several new movies were made that focused on the suburban lie; behind the white picket fences and two storey houses, not everything was as it seemed. Choosing to focus on the hidden secrets, the family facades and the deep desires of ourselves and our neighbours, movies began to be more revealing, showing what happens when “perfection” is unravelled and exploited as the myth that it really is. 

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