Essay #2: American Beauty and ThirteenIn this essay, I chose to talk about the films American Beauty and Thirteen from group #1. The two topics covered in this essay from group no. 2 are identity and difference as well as sexuality. The cinematic elements in group #3 that will be covered are cinematography and the use of costumes. In many ways, these two films feature similar content in terms of characters fighting against themselves and society to fit in. In American Beauty, Lester Burnham tries to free himself from his boring life and his depression. On the other hand, Thirteen shows the difficulties of Tracy Freeland, who tries to integrate into school. This leads her to lash out with her so-called best friend Evie. Identity and differences are displayed through sexuality with Lester and Evie in different ways. Lester lusts after his daughter's best friend, Angela, while Tracy tries to experience sexuality in different ways by following in Evie's footsteps. Sexuality creates an identity for both Lester and Tracy as well as the supporting cast in both films. The way both characters attempt to explore sexuality is what defines their character in the film. In American Beauty, the scene where Lester first sees Angela, his daughter's best friend, dressed in a provocative cheerleading uniform while the camera slowly focuses on her hip movements is a great way to show sexual desire (Ball, 1999). Lester's eyes in this scene are a clear way for the filmmakers to show the type of sexual identity Lester will maintain throughout the film. In Thirteen, Tracy is identified as sexually aware when she tries to talk to her brother's friends and they only end up paying attention to Evie and him... middle of paper... tail. Additionally, many camera angles exploiting the atmosphere of sexuality make these films very similar to the eyes of a regular viewer. Both films allow the viewer to experience how life is much harder under social pressure from many characters' perspectives. Not only do these films focus on small details in various scenes, but they show the complexity of filmmaking while incorporating a unique story and keeping the viewer involved in each character's problems.BibliographyBall, A. (Screenwriter) and Mendes, S. (Director). (1999). American Beauty [Cinema]. UNITED STATES. Hardwicke, C. (writer) and Hardwicke, C. (director). (2003). Thirteen [Cinematographic film]. UNITED STATES. Monahan, R.B. (2013). Watch movies. In chapter 9: Sounds (p. 416). New York: Norton & Company, Inc...