AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Sam Mendes

Written by - Alan Ball

Starring - Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening

"The story of a day in which a man, already alienated from his wife and daughter, will die. 

American Beauty is simply one of the best takes on the modern family drama which perfectly portrays the everyday unhappiness, struggles with a forcefully impending mid-life crisis and involuntary black comedy of the average suburban American family of the late nineties. 

In such a way, it could be described as a picture perfect snapshot. Sam Mendes certainly brings a compelling and original style to the mix, with some particularly memorable sequences that have become influential throughout the years enhanced by a type of slow fluid cinematography and meticulous mise en scene. All the while Alan Ball's screenplay perfectly balances all aspects of the story in a most tasteful and delicate manner, in a script where what is not said is just as powerful as what is not being said. 

Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening are perfectly cast as the unhappily married couple and give career defining performances."

Drama, USA