Live life to its fullest, do what you want to do and do not get caught up with all the little things in life. This is an apparent theme in the film American Beauty. In this movie, Lester Burnham decides to change his lifestyle. He quits his job, buys a new car, begins working out and smoking pot, and does not seem to care about how his decisions affect other people- as long as he is happy. By analyzing two main scenes in American Beauty, one can further understand this theme by recognizing the dialogue, characterization, and usage of the camera throughout the scene.
The film begins with Lester's wife badgering him, and he seems to accept this. However, it is apparent that this will not last long when Lester decides to take control of his life and quits his job. The tone of this scene is very mellow. In the office where Lester works, the most apparent color is blue and the only light that can be seen is a shadow cast by the window. Although music is extremely important throughout the film, the only sounds heard are those of the two men talking, Lester and his boss. The camera shot used the most in this scene is an over-the-shoulder shot. Most of the time, it was over the boss's shoulder, allowing the viewer to see Lester and in some cases, a majority of the office. These shots frequently move from Lester to his boss as each man is speaking and frequently allows Lester to be on the left side of the frame and the boss on the other. This is ironic in that commonly, stronger characters are portrayed on the right side of the scene, leaving weaker characters on the right side of the frame. In this scene in particular, Lester is expressing his freedom. He no longer wants to work in the advertising business and blackmails his boss into giving his a year's salary. Therefore, one would assume Lester is the stronger character in this scene. One would suppose that throughout the entire movie, Lester is the stronger character however, it is apparent for a majority of the film, he is seen on the left side of the frame.
