Articles Summaries Gradesaver (1) talks about the themes in American Beauty, which include happiness, identity, American culture, love, freedom, family, and sexuality. Happiness is something elusive for most of the characters except Ricky and Lester, at the end of the movie. The lack of identity in the film led to most people’s troubles. The movie also shows how values inherent in American culture, such as consumerism, youthful innocence, and homophobia can be elusive. American beauty stresses the importance of finding love and embracing freedom, even though these values must be balanced. It questions the notion of unconditional love for one’s family and challenges sexual stereotypes. Deschler (1) also discusses the main themes of the movie, which include materialism, appearance versus reality, denial, control, loneliness, change, and American beauty. The theme of materialism is best stressed by Carolyn who cannot allow herself to maintain an intimate relationship with her family. Conversely, American beauty, as a theme is evident through the search for beauty by Lester and appreciation of the same by Ricky. Other people who fit into the conventions of beauty, such as Angela, may have ugly characters. The author also has suggestions on how to improve the film. She suggested the removal of Ricky’s camera as well as the need to be grateful regardless of the circumstances as most people’s situations were not so great. Application and Analysis The first scene chosen for analysis is the last one, which runs for approximately five minutes and ends the movie. It starts with Lester and Angela, who have terminated what would have been a sexual encounter after Lester realizes that Angela is a virgin. Lester asks about Jane, and Angela gives him a positive report. Thereafter, she leaves for the bathroom. Lester walks to the counter and picks up a picture of his wife, child, and himself. He seems overcome by a feeling of satisfaction when he looks at them. An unidentified person walks in and points a gun at Lester’s head. One then hears a gunshot and sees blood over the wall. Jane and Ricky find Lester dead although his eyes look happy. Carolyn falls in the closet and cries bitterly while the Colonel is seen with an incriminating shirt and missing gun. This scene ends with a voiceover and flashbacks of Lester’s life. The ending of the movie is an ideal illustration of what a director can accomplish with the right kind of cinematography. When Lester dies, the audience does not see him getting shot, the camera moves away from him and focuses on a wall, which gets splattered by blood. It was necessary to use such a technique probably because the author wanted to spare the audience from too much violence, but still, show that Lester was dead. Additionally, the film revisits Lester’s death through a myriad of perspectives. This technique is essential in showing how the different characters of the film were affected by it. In one instance, Colonel Fitts is seen with a missing gun in his cabinet. In another, one sees Carolyn then Lester’s thoughts before his death. His perspective was given the greatest level of attention because it would carry the film’s themes. The scene is packed with information, characters, and plot twists. The scriptwriter found a way of effortlessly