American Beauty is a 1999 drama film, directed by Sam Mendes, based on the midlife crisis of 42-year-old advertising executive Lester Burnham after he develops an obsession with friend of his teenage daughter. The film plays on ideas of the American dream, the ideals and superficialities of the American middle class and the subversion thereof, culminating in the death of Lester in the final scene when he is shot in the head by a neighbor , a retired army colonel who harbored internalized homosexual feelings for Lester. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The scene I am analyzing begins with a shot of the interior of a car, with the camera positioned behind the seat of the driver, overlooking the driver's shoulder. . The windshield and rearview mirror are the focus of the shot and it is clear to the audience, through the reflection in the rearview mirror, that the driver of the car is Lester's wife, Carolyn. The shot is dark, the only light coming from a blue street lamp to the right of the car and the only diegetic sound is that of the heavy rain on the windshield. A non-diegetic soundtrack of low orchestral music begins, almost blending into that of rain. The proximity of this shot and the suffocating quality of the rain lend a sense of confinement and claustrophobia, with the blue light adding an almost supernatural aspect, a feeling of the eerie or foreboding, perhaps foreshadowing Lester's impending murder. The photo then changes to Carolyn's point of view as she closes her window. It starts out blurry before slowly coming into focus to reveal a long shot of their red front door. The non-diegetic soundtrack then changes to the leitmotif used throughout the film, suggesting a connection with Lester and anchoring this shot within the narrative of the film as a whole. The rain obscures everything on either side of the door, suggesting that Carolyn's primary focus is on it, its bright color also making it stand out sharply against the darkness of the surrounding area. The scene then shifts to one of Lester's daughter Jane's friend Angela. She's sitting at the counter at the Burnham house after almost having sex with Lester. She is shown in a medium shot, the lighting dimmed, highlighting the stark white clinical tiles behind her. Hidden in the shadows is a vase of red roses, echoing the repeated pattern of red rose petals throughout the film, representing Lester's sexual infatuation with Angela and often shown alongside her. She is wrapped in a blanket that, earlier, the audience sees Lester wrap around her and she has in front of her a plate of food and a bottle of Coca Cola, the label visible. These emphasize her youth and innocence as she is cared for, a far cry from the self-assured and confident woman she appeared to be at the start of the film. This also shows Lester's fatherly instinct, something he visibly lacks towards his own daughter. The photo then cuts to Lester's, matching the outline of Angela's eyes to show who she is addressing when she speaks. They continue to talk about their near-sexual encounter, with Angela saying she's still "a little weird." The camera quickly cuts between the two, still staying on line 180, but moving to show whoever is speaking at that moment. Lester asks how his daughter, Jane, is doing: “Is she unhappy?” – and when the camera pans back to Angela for her response, the photo is now zoomed in closer, showing her all the way to the tops of her shoulders. This suggests greater intimacy in their conversationsince, when the camera returns to Lester a second later, he too is shown in another close-up. It also emphasizes the change in the character's emotions as we can see more detail in their facial expressions, for example Lester's affectionate smile when Angela talks about Jane. Angela announces that she has to go to the bathroom and leaves. Lester is alone in the kitchen, still smiling. He repeats to himself his earlier words to Angela: "I'm fine." For the first time in the film, he appears genuinely happy. His gaze moves out of the frame. The shot then cuts to a medium shot of Lester as he walks in the direction of her gaze. He is seen in the full environment of his kitchen as he walks to the right of the shot, out of the central light. He picks up an item from the sideboard and the camera then follows his movement as he moves through the shot, stopping as he sits down at the table. We are then shown via a perspective shot that the object he is looking at is a family photo of him, Carolyn and Jane. The camera then cuts to him facing the back of the photo – the audience can see him as he smiles affectionately at her. The use of close-up here suggests an interruption of a private moment. The photo then cuts to a close-up of his left profile as he talks to himself – “dude oh dude oh dude.” The barrel of a gun slowly emerges from the right side of the frame, pointing toward the back of his head. The camera then pans, showing her hands at the bottom of the image, once again the vase of red roses before coming to rest on the white wall tiles. There is a gunshot and the windows are spattered with blood. This is reminiscent of the beginning of the film when Lester, in anger, throws a plate of asparagus at the wall and, once again, the bright red of the blood against the white wall is similar to that of red roses. If these symbolize the freedom Lester finds in his pleasure, this could suggest the freedom he also feels in death. We then exit the kitchen as the shot shifts to a perspective shot, slowly descending the stairs of the Burnham house. The shot then moves down the stairs, showing it to be Jane and Ricky. The shot is low angle, tilted upwards towards the characters, which gives a voyeuristic appearance. We then cut to a blurry shot - it becomes clear that it is a door as it opens to reveal a pool of blood and Lester's head on the table. We see the two enter the room before the camera tracks Ricky's movement as he walks towards him. The shot then cuts to a close-up of Lester's head, out of focus, as Ricky steps down into the frame. We are then shown what he is looking at as the shot switches to his perspective of Lester's head, eyes still open, blood dripping from his forehead. Ricky tilts his head to the side and smiles briefly. The close-up of his face, framed by the blurry image of Lester's bloodied head, makes this scene uncomfortable to watch. The length of the plan used is also remarkable, as well as the frequent return to it. This is significantly different from the quick jab used previously in the conversation between Angela and Lester. The reason for his smile is also ambiguous: is he happy because he can escape with Jane as he wanted or because he sees that Lester has finally achieved the freedom he dreamed of? The shot then cuts back to a close-up of Lester. It fades into a blue but cloudy sky as a non-diegetic narration, voiced by Lester, begins. He says he once heard “your whole life flashes before your eyes when you die.” This sequence echoes the opening sequence of the film,.