American Beauty

In American Beauty, director Sam Mendes gives us an insight into modern day American society and shows the internal conflict and struggle people are facing trying to achieve what their perception of the American dream is. The use of powerful symbolism and characterization work together to show…

The main narrator Lester Burnham is a man searching for contentment in his life. A flashblack in the opening sequence reveals for forthcoming death of Lester and how in his mind, he is dead already. “my name is Lester Burnham. I am 42 years old…. In a year from now I’ll be dead. In some ways I’m dead already”. Lester is stuck in a rut, and all he wants is to break free from this entrapment of a dull repetitive lifestyle that has been brought about by his wife Carolyn.

Through the characterization of Carolyn, apperance vs. reality is addressed. The first scene of Carolyn is showing her pruning her roses; creating the perfect rose in an attempt to create the perfect life, but in doing this, Carolyn is killing these roses, cutting the true beauty out of the world, and this forshadows how her strive for success is cutting the love out of her family. “my company sells an image, it is part of my job to live that image”. This shows why Carolyn puts on an appearance of a happy, successful woman with a good marriage, when in reality it’s the opposite. She believes this image is what will make her successful. Mendes shows how the pressure of trying to overachieve and be perfect can lead to a great unhappiness, as shown by Carolyn.

Through the use of symbolic colour mendes shows how it is possible to break free from entrapment and to find beauty in simple things, not just what is expected in beauty. Angela, a stereotypical American teenage, is the catalyst of Lesters change when he see sher cheerleading, a fantasy begins, shown by the red rose petals surrounding her, which return each time he fanstasises about her. This shows how such a simple thing like a crush has freed...