American Beauty-Scene Analysis.

This scene from the movie is the day Lester dies. Lester is getting his life perfect, working out and having a new overview of life. In this scene we see the change in Lester and the true Angela escape.
I have picked this particular scene from the movie for two reasons. The first reason would be the change within Lester's behaviour and attitude towards Angela's seduction. The second reason is the change within Angela's behaviour towards Lester's reaction.

The Mise En Scene created in this scene is different to the first kitchen scene. The Lighting has been manipulated so that Lester and the Dining Table are in the brightest lighting. We could connote this as Lester discovering who he is and is finally at peace within himself whereas Angela (who now is in the dark) has to hide underneath this façade. Also the two brightest are the two significant, drawing attention to the event that is almost foreshadowed in this scene.  In this scene, the lighting is darker probably connoting that things aren't the same as they were before; the tensions between Carolyn, Lester, Angela and Jane have increased and everyone's all suspicious of one another. This creates an eerie atmosphere, making the audience anticipate what's going to happen next.

Lester's choice of clothing has changed throughout the course of the movie, at first he was wearing baggy and dull coloured clothing; whereas now (in this scene) he is wearing a tight, bright coloured t-shirt. His actions and the way he replies is mainly monosyllabic words. Suggesting that he doesn't an interest in anything anymore. This connotes to the change in his personality, alongside his body language. As Angela approaches him in a seductive and confident manner; he just sits there perched on the side of the worktop like an adolescent would. This suggests that Angela doesn't 'excite' Lester anymore. When the camera did a close up on his face after the attempted seduction, it looked like there was a moment of realization that glimmered through his eyes. His reply almost seemed teasing, showing that Angela's just a teenager and he's the adult; implying that the tables have turned.

Additionally, the props within this scene play an important role, as the imagery of perfection is still maintained, as are the roses connoting passion. The audience can see this when Angela struts up to Lester, the dining table and the cleanliness  is shown. This could connote to Angela being similar to Carolyn as they behold the same qualities. Both have this perfected image about themselves, which is a façade to hide their true self, the tidiness of the kitchen could reflect the tidiness of Angela's appearance. The reaction of Angela to Lester's question gave the audience a glimpse of Angela being submissive and vulnerable. When she started slowly backing away, we connote this to be the dissection of Angela's true self.  The colour white connotes to innocence and purity which is completely corrupt at this point in the movie; bringing to the surface Angela's innocence and virginity.