Suburban Life

 

"American Beauty" explores the suburban life in America, diving deeper into the complexities that lie beneath the perfect life of suburbia. The opening scene introduces its viewers to the suburban, "cookie cutter" lifestyle of people there. However, we quickly realize that the main character, who lives in this area, is bored and longs for something different—giving a different perspective of the lifestyle that people on the outside desire to have. The architecture plays a crucial role in conveying the themes of conformity and the search for meaning. The main character, wanting to break free from this conformed life, goes against the norm of the suburban lifestyle and wants to pursue a more fulfilling life. Overall, the architecture in "American Beauty" highlights the contrast between appearance and reality, showing viewers the emptiness that can lie beneath the surface of an ideal life. When growing up, I remember wanting to be in the suburbs because my idea of that was the perfect life. My parents disagreed at the time, and I always wondered why until I slowly learned that it's not all what it seems. When growing up, did you experience the same thing?