During the February Movie Watcher Group, we contemplated the clarity seen after watching “American Beauty.”
Lester Burnham, the hero, is played by Kevin Spacey as a man who is unloved by his daughter, ignored by his wife and unnecessary at work. “I’ll be dead in a year,” he tells us in almost the first words of the movie. “In a way, I’m dead already.” The movie is the story of his rebellion.
“Look closer,” the film’s tag-line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we yearn for and spend our life chasing. The characters in “American Beauty” are yearning to fulfill a dream that they think will get them out of their miserable lives.
By the end of the film, most of the characters get a taste of their dreams and discover the underlying emptiness of their lives. Looking closer, they see the decay that has replaced genuine beauty and meaning and discover that their dreams are nothing but illusions.
The movie is available on Amazon, Hulu, Showtime, Vudu, YouTube and other streaming services. The play-sheet for the movie will soon become available.
This month’s movie group was facilitated by Jacquelyn Eckert.
