220 CHAPTER 5 MISE-EN-SCÈNE
13245Different settings in American Beautyprovoke
different behaviors from different characters In
American Beauty, male and female gazes play a central role
in the developing drama. [1] Lester Burnham’s (Kevin Spacey)
overheated imagination turns Angela’s (Mena Suvari)
cheerleading performance into a seductive striptease
performed only for his benefit. [2] Lester reacts with
dumbfounded amazement at Angela’s charms. [3] Meanwhile,
Lester’s daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), has attracted fellow
student Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), who is shooting footage of
her in his bedroom. [4] When Jane gets tired of telling Ricky
how much she hates her father, she grabs the video camera
and turns her gaze on him as he tells her about his past.
[5] The bond between Jane and Ricky is sealed when he
shares with her a poignant and poetic film of a simple,
random occurrence: a plastic bag floating on a breeze.