American Beauty (1999)

Film

Meta takes3

Figures

Locations

The film's overall depiction of the suburban landscape and lifestyle. → The Hyperreal Mirage

Form & technique

Thomas Newman's musical score for the film.
The film's narrative focus on the spiritual crisis of the white suburban middle class.

Tropes

Lester Burnham's fantasy about Angela Hayes in the rose petals. → The Phantom Object of Desire
Colonel Fitts's murder of Lester Burnham.
Ricky Fitts's video of a plastic bag dancing in the wind. → The Cinematic Sublime
Lester Burnham's mid-life crisis and rebellion.
Carolyn Burnham's obsession with material success and her affair.