The Beauty In American Beauty
Kevin Spacey is a special kind of actor: somewhat of a rare breed. What most people don’t know about the man is that he has a deep passion for writing and performing theatre, and indeed owns his own company – something which, and almost everyone who is involved in theatre will agree, is something to be done through love, not money. That said, after American Beauty, money wasn’t exactly Spacey’s primary concern. The film, a bizarrely affectionate tale of fragmented family life gone to hell, focuses on relationships and had just the right amount of sensitivity, honesty and guts to get under the viewer’s skin. Bathed in glorious visions and sumptuous film techniques usually shunned today in favour of CGI nonsense, it’s a unique and quirky film. One that demands multiple viewings which, inevitably, leave the viewer wondering and asking questions as to the precise intentions of the writer and director, I saw this first when I was in America teaching overseas, it was received by audiences in many different ways, however everybody agreed that is wasn’t really true to life. I disagree.
American Beauty, besides that, is about the hum-drum monotony of being alive and being very, very bored. It is not always pleasant, and it doesn’t always feel satisfying, but ultimately there in lies the attraction: as such the connection to the audience is almost spiritual, and the characters take on a weirdly recognisable quality which is so often dressed up in funny lines and extravagant make-up.
Also fascinating is the dialogue, which resembles a coming-of-age Shakesperian play more than it does a movie. Then there is the general style. Rather than taking the easy option and telling a linear story from one perspective, the camera drifts and rolls with a mellow intensity, flipping between the lives of a number of characters but doing so effortlessly. And you can’t ignore the attention to detail either. Shot with a minimalist, often agonizing slowness, the viewer is made to feel as awkward as the characters as they try to go about their lives being their real selves.
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