american beauty

representation
the representation of Lester is seen in the clip as he is presented as a sad, self indulgent man who is clearly depressed and this is shown by how he dresses which we will come across later. he says that his high point comes when he is in the shower and this clearly shows that he is depressed and he has no leadership over his family

Caroline= a cold and cruel woman you could say and clearly she is depressed to and this theme runs across the family, she tries to be the leader however clearly she is struggling too just like Lester

janey= once again a dark character who is struggling with her teenage years, has the power over her father and we see this when she is able to sit in the front of the car, she also mocks him and she is the one that is lighted up when the family who used to be happy once and we see this in pictures, she is lighted up when its dinner and like Lester she is not generous of her mums work.

the boy= he is videoing the father and daughter and clearly looks concerned and confused, has he got any links with the family?

mise en scene

there is a lot to talk about this and we will start with the colors that have been used. they are red blue and white which are the colors of america where this scene is set. the color shows the traditional american family and this can be seen throughout the scene

the color of the objects contrast with the blandness of the family, the rooms that they are in are bland and lesters clothing is also bland reflecting on the mood of the family and the atmosphere of the family







camerawork

the camera zooms in on the family when they are eating so that the audience would feel like they are eavesdropping on the conversation which appears to be private. the camera zooms in slowly as we seem to be silently sneaking almost stealth like into the room.





sound

the old fashioned songs picked by the mother could show how old fashioned she actually is and this is evident throughout the scene with the color of the house. the repetitiveness of the music could show how the family are not moving in the right direction towards a happier life and they are stuck with this gloomy,dull,bland life.