Reply #102: maiden post coming up... [View All]

There is one scene in the film that sums up what is wrong with materialist society. The central couple in the film are about to get it on after a dispute. Passion erupts but before anything actually happens in a carnal context the female spills a glass of wine on the expensive (presumably) sofa and she sits bolt upright in a panic. Her priorities in life are a corollary to the belief that material matters transcend the beautiful, and non-material, event that making love can be. In an instant her passion is nullified, by the worry that the material thing she cherishes has been damaged. Here, the director was trying to show how our spiritual side is negated by our (rather sad) focus on the material. IMO that was a clever little set piece.

I love film as a medium. It can convey ideas and concepts by fusing the visual with dialogue in a way that few other media can. As for American Beauty's artistic merit? I'm gonna stick my neck out. A mixed bag that didn't hang together all that well but some good moments.