Social Satire of the Materialistic 1980s in American Psycho

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American Psycho (2000) offers a devastating social satire of the 1980s materialistic and hedonistic high society. Ironically, the film's monsters-in-hiding become increasingly evident even as the cinematography attempts to obscure most of the victims of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) with the dark hues of the nighttime. Additionally, the point-of-view (P.O.V.) editing in relation to Patrick Bateman illustrates his frustrations to the audience and shows his struggle to not only become the best in his society, but also prevent others that are either not fit for his society or those with particularly annoying idiosyncrasies from being a part of that society. The character study depicts the daily activities of Patrick Bateman, a young New York stockbroker working for Pierce and Pierce, as he hides the murder of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) from Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe). As the film progresses, Patrick's mask of sanity slowly slips as he finds out that he is not the idea of Patrick Bateman that he reflects himself of being throughout the film and realizes the disconnection that he has from the world around him.
The opening sequence showcases Patrick's ambiguous actions throughout the film as red droplets similar to that of blood droplets fall against a off-white background, highlighting how there are some dark secrets buried under the glamour of the rich society. The non-diegesis plucking of strings serve as a warning to watch for the subtle horror elements that the film has in store. A high angle showcases the sauce accompanying a steak shows the importance of objects to a person's status. The food presented in several high-angle shots complement the clean, vivid colors surrounding the restaurant to compliment ...

... middle of paper ...

.... The sparsely decorated apartment with black counters and shelves makes a statement in how little actual value that material possessions have in Patrick's opinion. Another over-the-shoulder perspective shot shows Patrick's reflection off the Les Misérables picture frame, supplemented by the chiaroscuro, further supports how the image of Patrick that he sees is mostly obscured by the dark inner thoughts in his mind. The closeup shot of Patrick's face as he slowly peels off a facial mask showing that he wears a metaphorical mask to pretend that he is emotionally present, saying that he is "simply not there" even when people can interact with Patrick physically.

Works Cited

American Psycho. Dir. Mary Harron. Perf. Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, and Josh Lucas. Lions Gate Films, 2000. Film.
"American Psycho (2000) - FAQ." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

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