Immy's review : One of my favourite movies

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2020)

What a masterpiece.
American beauty appears to be an exploration of the dynamics of a regular suburban family, however at heart it's a brutally honest commentary on society and how social expectations morph us into how we are expected to live and act. We become obsessed with the idea of finding happiness through materialism, riches, and what we are taught will make us happy, however this never ends up being the case.
Lester is the lead character here. Having been in a dormant marriage for years and barely speaking with his stroppy teen daughter, he is greatly unhappy and misses his younger days, so sets about expressing how he actually feels and finally gives into his desires he had suppressed for so long, one of them being starting a love affair with his daughters best friend.
The movie is exceptional at turning the infamous 'Mid life crisis' into something that shouldn't be frowned upon as a sign of human weakness, but more of a humans natural reaction from an oppressive system. Lester, and later his wife Angela, finally break free from all the pressures pushed onto them. Lester quits his job and starts smoking pot, whereas Angela begins a tumultuous affair, and through this we see her stiff character become more carefree, and Lester more confident. Eventually, however, Lester finally comes to see the 'beauty' of life for what it is, and that there's so much more to life than trying to obtain materialism. There's just beauty in what's there.
I adore the movie's complex and various different themes, including sexuality, family, materialism, love and conformity. Every character symbolised one of these themes and also some part of us as humans. Carolyn portraying the image and perfection obsessed wife, Lester the guy seeking freedom and youth again, Jane the self loathing daughter with low self esteem, Angela the self obsessed girl constantly seeking attention from guys (and arguably also suffering from low self esteem), Ricky the guy who saw the beauty in everyday life (him being the idealised version of where we should be) and his father Frank's violent and angry nature (which we come to learn is to cover his biggest insecurity). The symbolism portrayed through these characters is what makes this movie so relatable and moving.
My favourite scene is when Ricky shows Jane his video footage of a plastic bag floating in circles through the wind, never quite stopping, in which he remarks 'sometimes theres so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it'. Ricky truly symbolises a person who has found complete happinesses in the everyday things despite his strict father. He doesn't see beauty in materialism, but beauty in things where you least expect it.
Another theme I found particularly interesting was the idea of masculinity, and men repressing their emotions and desires, conveyed by the strict and homophobic Frank. It paints an accurate portrayal of the 'toxic masculinity' trope and how these ideas have affected men for thousands of years, leading them to, in general, develop a more violent and angry nature because of society's forced repression of their feelings.
I felt particularly drawn to Angela, as under her looks and apparent confidence was a young and insecure girl who thought that looking pretty and appearing desirable to boys was the key to happiness, however we don't really believe she is, and that's what is so engaging about the movie. It focuses on the characters flaws so we see them for who they really are, and in a sense we see their flaws in us.
The cinematography was beautiful, with the wide range of colours being hugely symbolic throughout. It almost felt like a classical 1950s movie in certain places to portray the idea of a 'Pleasantville' and the 'suburban dream'.
Overall, a beautiful and life changing movie, that might make you think a little about true beauty and happiness.