Sex In American Beauty

Evidently, sex is not the only method Frank and April have found for themselves to deny their unhappy state of mind. An excessive consumption of alcohol and nicotine accompanies their daily life throughout the entire film, no matter if in times of desperation or relief. Frank smokes at his office out of boredom, has drinks with his colleagues after work out of habit, utilises Martinis as little helper to get Maureen tipsy, enthusiastically drinks a toast to the decision to move to Paris with his wife, and neither puts down the glass in critical situations while argumenting with her. In American Beauty, Lester’s drinking behaviour gradually changes in the course of the movie proportional to his gain of vitality. At the

Fig. 19.

20. American Beauty: The Tide Has Turned. „I rule!“ (01:11:41)

Lester further boycotts her red-rose-mania by indifferently putting his bare naked feet and a bottle of beer next to a bouquet of roses in the living room, dressed in sloppy clothes, playing with a remote-controlled toy car – one of the causes for their marital arguments. The bad language Americans censor and allegedly despise so much, however, is exactly what makes these films about daily life so unique, or in Carey Mulliagan’s words, “authentically real” (McQueen/Fassbender/Mulligan). Particularly Frank and Brandon use of language exhibits some serious swearing towards April and Sissy. For instance, Brandon’s and Sissy’s first encounter in the film is already loaded with enormous tension. Sissy did ineed surprise him appearing all of a sudden naked in his bathroom showering; however, she had called first and Brandon had handed her a key in the past. Brandon’s behavioural patterns of extreme repression combined with anger and desperation to let someone into his daily life create this scene of roaring and screaming between brother and sister:
Brandon. I'll fucking kill you!
Sissy. (screaming)
Brandon. What the... What the

Furthermore, their striking use of imperative implies their need for control of the situation. In Lester’s case, an increasing amount of imperatives in his utterances together with a sharper tone contribute to the emergence of his domestic power. Whereas in the beginning of the film Lester reluctantly attempts to complain about work when no one really pays attention and Jane even protestingly leaves the room, a family dinner at the Burnhams’ proceeds much differently from what it used to after Lester’s decision to modulate his lifestyle. Moving from “Pass the asparagus!” to “Someone pass me the asparagus.” to “Will someone pass me the fucking asparagus?” and commanding Jane to “sit down” and telling Carolyn not to interrupt him (American Beauty) actually yields fruit, leaving Jane and Carolyn