Introduction
Throughline dictates the development of a movie and the actions of a character in the film. It helps the viewers in understanding the motivations behind roles undertaken by a character and how the plot builds as the story develops. The throughline is the super-objective of the main character in a film, small objectives making up ma scene often builds up to the super objective of the whole movie. This paper seeks to discuss the throughline in the movie “American Beauty.”
American Beauty
In the movie “American Beauty,” the lead actor Kevin Spacey plays the part of an unhappy suburban family man Lester Burnham. Alluding from the movie’s headline, the characters in the movie are all stuck at trying to find the beauty in their life; the story revolved around the family of Lester Burnham and his struggle to live the American dream (Ball, 1999). The throughline in the film is in Lester’s desire to live a life of happiness as opposed to the current life of working with little appreciation. The opening scene in the movie sets the tone for the movie as Lester narrates the deteriorating family relationship, his family do not appreciate him as his daughter Jane thinks that he is a sad excuse for a father while his previously intimate relationship with wife Carolyn is no longer there (Ball, 1999). The situation is not different at work; he finds out that the company he has been working for 14 years has decided to lay off some of its employees and required him to write down what he contributes towards the betterment of the company to keep his position (Ball, 1999). His life has fallen to a constant repeat of misery; he quits his job in a bid to change his life to a happier one.
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To change the family, Lester and his wife go to their daughter’s basketball match where he meets Angela, Jane’s friend, and immediately becomes infatuated with her (Ball, 1999). He dreams about her in a bed of roses while sleeping with her wife, his desire for Angela and his super-objective to live a happier life coincide. After finding out that Angela thinks he would be sexier if he worked out he decides to start taking part in physical exercises. This shows Lester breaking out of the restrictions and the placid life he has been living as he tries to look for happiness. He buys marijuana from his next-door neighbours Ricky; whose life is the exact desire of the Lester (Ball, 1999). He realizes that the pursuit for material things has been the undoing of their life when he finds outs that his wife has been cheating on him, he is more happy than sad as it releases him from her yoke.
As the movie draws to a close, Angela and Lester flirt when she comes for a sleepover at his house, the object of his desire draws nearer. However, we are taken to his run-in with Ricky’s father Colonel Fitts who suspects that he is gay and has been trying to woe his son. The colonel kisses Lester who politely refuses his advances, his self-control and calm manner to which he reacts to the colonel shows that he has evolved through the movie and is close to realising the throughline (Ball, 1999). He is detached from the society’s expectation of him and lives life for his wellbeing.
Conclusion
The ultimate realization of the throughline happens when he is about to consummate his lust for Angela, she tells him that she is a virgin. This changes his view of her and makes him look at her as a fellow human being and not just an object for his desire, his discussion with her after the incident brings him genuine happiness. However, when Angela walks from the room, he is murdered but only after realizing that he could be happy.
- Ball, A. (1999). American beauty: The shooting script. New York: Newmarket Press.
