Lester Burnham in American Beauty is trapped , we learn this by loads of different things shown in the first ten minutes of the film
The only time he is shown leaving the house he is going to work
In the shadows when he's in his bed
Trapped by his wifr, made to wear slippers
When he's in the shower , he is shown behind the door
When hes looking out of the window and his wife , this shows him behind the window
His image is reflected onto the computer with bars infront of him
He sits in the back of the car , like a teenager
Family Hierachy
Normally in the family , the hierachy would go ; father, mother and then child. However in this case it goes; Mother, child and then the father being last. this shows that Lester should be in charge of his family but instead he just gets controlled by his wife.
Colour
The red, white and blue in the film represnt the american flag, when Lester drops his briefcase red and blue are the colours of his folders. Also the rose that the wife holds is also red and the roses on the daughters jumper is red.
All of the other colours in the film are mainly neutral. This helps to create an atmosphere and also links to the representation of Lester being a boring perosn.
Having mainly neutral colours helps to make the red, white and blue stand out.
Music
The music adds atmosphere by being repetitive, having awkward sounds makes an awkward atmosphere and having an uncomfortable sound makes an uncomfortable atmosphere.
The music fits in with Lester and his life , being awkward and uncomfortable at home.
A good start Hanna.
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