There's is so much beauty in this film...

Rating: 9/10 (19 October 2012)

The deceased Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) tells the story of the last year of his life. His life is going nowhere ,being stuck in his job with no future.He is hated by his materialistic wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) & his introvert daughter Jane (Thora Birch).
Lester's world changes when he falls in lust with Jane's slutty friend Angela (Mena Suvari).Angela is aware of this & cruelly encourages him. The new family next door is of the homophobic Colonel Frank Fits (Chris Cooper),his traumatized wife & disturbed son Vicky (Wes Bentley), who is attracted to Jane. He starts filming her in her house & once accidentally films a nude Lester working out. She abuses him openly but is secretly pleased. Ricky is secretly a marijuana seller, he soon befriends Lester who becomes his regular client .Frank looks at this bonding suspiciously. Lester smokes pot & works out regularly becoming confident & outspoken.
An eventful day Lester quits his job but not before blackmailing his company for a year's salary& joins a restaurant as an attendant to have a job with the least possible responsibilities. Carolyn starts an affair with Buddy Kane . Ricky and Jane begin a relationship.
Lester finally stands upto Carolyn for the first time in his life. He knows that all his attempts to find any place in the lives of either his wife or daughter are useless and the least he can do is have a happy life for himself.
The last day of Lester's life dawns. He & Angela flirt ,much to Jane's disgust. He signals to Ricky to call him which catches Frank's eye. He investigates by searching Ricky's room and finds the video of a nude Lester ,deducing that his son & Lester are in a relationship. Carolyn and Buddy drive into the same restaurant where Lester works He coolly serves them even after catching the two red handed. Carolyn is hurt by Lester's indifference. Buddy breaks off the relationship, leaving Carolyn distraught. Lester calls Ricky to buy more marijuana. Frank spies on them ,mistaking their meeting for a sexual encounter. He beats up Ricky & demands explanation. Ricky, already sick of his overbearing father, lies that he works as a prostitute. Frank throws him out. Ricky goes to Lester's house and asks Jane to leave with him. She agrees, but Angela who is present there tries to discourage her and starts to fight with her. Jane throws her out.
Frank visits Lester and asks him about his wife's whereabouts. He replies that his marriage is a sham, thereby turning Frank's doubts into belief. Suddenly, he attempts to kiss Lester, revealing that his homophobic personality is a mere facade. Lester pulls him off & Frank leaves without another word. Lester finds Angela crying on the stairs. One thing leads to another and Angela is soon in his arms. Angela reveals that she is nothing like her projected slutty image & is a virgin. Lester suddenly sees her as a daughter & realizes that he has been wrong in lusting after her. He embraces her like a child. She leaves a content Lester whose life has now come to a full circle. He feels no remorse but only gladness at spurning the object of his desire. He gazes contently into a family photograph. A barrel of a gun appears behind his head. A shot is heard and his blood is splattered on the wall. The reaction of the each of the rest of the characters is shown, when the shot rings out. Frank is revealed to be the killer.The deceased Lester in a final voice-over sees his life is flashing before him.His dying thoughts revolve around his childhood memories, Carolyn and Jane. He has no regrets & finds hard to be angry with so much beauty in the world. He is grateful for every moment of his short life.
Look closer says the film's caption. The Burnham's house is full of smiling,happy family photographs but the house is anything but that. The prosperous neighbourhood is eerily silent,whether it be the sombre atmosphere in the Burnham household or macabre in the Fritts one. Behind smiling faces lies just contempt or insecurity. The film can be interpreted in innumerable ways- as a demythifier of happy suburbian middle class life , an attempt to find life's meaning, a person's wish to break free out of a mundane,materialistic existence or there's more to life than stuff & status symbols like job or status or how everyone lives a fake life. Carolyn's fake self esteem is a cover to hide her dissatisfaction & hate for her job. Frank's homophobia is a cover to hide his own homosexual tendencies. Angela's dirty talk and loose image is a pathetic attempt to be seen as a glam doll. Jane while projecting herself to be aloof suffers from low self esteem and feels jealous of the extrovert Angela.The only person content and happy in the end is Lester, inspite of his life's journey coming to a cruel and abrupt end.
Sam Mendes couldn't have asked for a better debut in Hollywood, with his film sweeping all the major awards, including five Oscars. His direction is flawless, as he peels away the pompous layers of each character to reveal their vulnerable selves. Yet it stands out in the fact that he has avoided sugarcoating or giving the film a happy ending, in order to give the real message of the film- Ultimate freedom comes at an ultimate price.
The film belongs to Kevin Spacey. As Lester Burnham, he has portrayed beautifully a vulnerable & ordinary person prone to weakness & temptation yet remains a good human being who only wants a more dignified & fulfilling life. Annette Bening is excellent as the materialistic Carolyn .Chris Cooper is brilliant as Frank Fritts. The same is applicable to the rest of the cast. There is beauty all over this film.
Watch. And look closer.