American Beauty - Scene Comparing

In the film, American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes, two sequences that were of significance were the opening and closing scenes. The opening scene is important as it foreshadows how the main characters will develop throughout the film. In the closing scene, the full development of characters is seen, and this development is highlighted through important events in the closing scene.

In the opening sequence the main characters foreshadow how they will develop throughout the film. One way in where this foreshadowing is seen is when the main character Ricky asks Jane if she wants her father (Lester) dead, “Do you want me to kill him for you” this then inevitably foreshadows the death of Lester. Another way in which foreshadowing is used is when Lester’s voice-over is heard when he talks about Carolyn (his wife). Lester through the help of an establishing shot of his ‘perfect’ neighbourhood portrays his wife as an in control and demanding for per section, “Notice how her ga...