Why is the ending of American Beauty set up as a who-dunit?
I watch American Beauty once or twice and year and every time I see it, I wonder what the purpose of setting up the ending in this way is. Why have so many of the characters been placed to be suspected of the ending murder? How does that serve the themes of the film?
Best Answer
The opening line is "My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighborhood. This is my street. This is my life. I am 42 years old. In less than a year, I will be dead."
This line sets up the mystery of the film. The murder and immediate reveal of the murderer at the end resolves the mystery - it's a who's going to do it instead of a who did it. Presumably, I know this is fiction, but if the story after the murder was worth telling it would've been told in a sequel or an extra 30 min coda but the whole crux of the film is how and why Burnham will die so when this is resolved the story ends - we see that in spite of their troubles during the film the emotional reaction from Burnham's family and how, deep down, he was loved - this leaves the viewer with a more positive feeling and any further detail would detract from this.
Pictures about "Why is the ending of American Beauty set up as a who-dunit?"
What was the original ending of American Beauty?
The original ending was much darker with Dante getting shot and killed by a robber. Kevin Smith said he ended it that way because he didn't know how to end it otherwise, but when his two mentors informed him that the ending was just a giant downer, he decided to cut it.Does American Beauty have a happy Ending?
Happy Ending - Lester Burnham dies, and in his last moments he is rather relieved to know that his daughter and his wife are finally happy now, after a prolonged period of his inability to communicate with them.What does the red mean in American Beauty?
What does the color red mean in this movie? The way Ball uses it, it refers to a concept: the life force, which, by nature, tries to defy the suppressiveness of suburban life. That's why, the first time we meet Annette Benning, she's cutting red roses. She's cutting the life force.Was Angela a virgin in American Beauty?
After a whole movie of her pretending to be this experienced sexmonster, she ends up admitting to Lester that she's a virgin.American Beauty - What it all Meant
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