An Excellent Movie!

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2016)

American Beauty | 1999 | Directed by Sam Mendes | Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening and Thora Birch |
Sam Mendes's American Beauty is one of those movies in which everything ;acting, direction and editing come together to give the viewer a memorable cinematic experience which is both captivating and intellectually stimulating, leaving the viewer with a bittersweet aftertaste .
The film begins with a voice over of Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham( Kevin Spacey) narrating the story of the last year of his life (presumably) just before his death . He is a meek submissive writer for a magazine who hates his job and grudgingly goes through the daily
grind . He is married to Carolyn, an ambitious real estate agent who is obsessed with success and self-improvement. Their daughter Jane is the angry, insecure teenager archetype who hates them , finding her father a "loser" and her mother controlling.
Their family exemplifies the dysfunctional suburban family. It's a perfect setting for a midlife crises ,which precipitates when Lester develops an infatuation for his daughter's friend Angela. This leads to a series of events culminating to a finale with life changing events for and revelations about the main characters.
The movie deals with the themes of alienation and the human condition in an increasingly hostile world. Lester's journey of self discovery is message that even when all hope is lost , it's never too late to start being true to oneself . His transformation from a submissive "Nice Guy" to an assertive man unafraid to speak his mind and bend the "Rules" is drastic , still it is made to seem natural through Kevin Spacey's performance which deservedly earned him an Academy Award.
The other characters are equally complex and their story arcs revolve around the similar theme of self-deception, alienation and ultimately self-discovery and acceptance . Carolyn Lester represents the dark side of the American notion of basing your self worth on material success . Jane finds a unlikely lover in their next door neighbor Ricky who obsessively follows her around and videotapes her every move. Initially uncomfortable , she warms up to him being alienated from her parents and now her friend, whose constant flirting with Lester bothers her .
Daydreams of Lester's fantasies of Angela are executed brilliantly with surreal visuals accompanied by haunting music. A recurring motif in these scenes are the red rose petals , which also are featured in the iconic poster of the movie.
Overall it puts to display the predicaments of modern life, how youthful optimism gives away to lethargic passivity, how self-denial and conformity slowly eats away self-esteem , how the mindless pursuit of success leads you down a dark path and how even after this, there is hope for redemption and finding "beauty" in life.