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芙蓉 |
秋風已過人未還,夜已深沉花自矜。
凝香依存日復年,難眠淚痕是孤心。
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By
圖 / 文
圖 / 文
part 1。
Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) is a troubled, voyeuristic, eighteen year old who lives under the abusive domination of his father, a retired Marine Colonel. Col. Fitts (Chris Cooper) has so intimidated his wife and son that his wife lives in a paranoid, semi-catatonic state, and his son, Ricky, has had to be hospitalized for such an explosive anger as a young teen that he almost killed a classmate.
In an effort to self-medicate his seething soul, Ricky is now addicted to marijuana and lives by providing the drug to others. He gets Lester to begin smoking with him. As the pot begins to unravel Lester’s life, Ricky seduces Lester’s daughter, Jane.
Using his camera as an alter-ego, Ricky shares with Jane his manic spirituality and morbid curiosity. Watching a plastic bag circling in the winds, Ricky explains that it was in that moment that he became aware of a benevolent power that had created the world with such beauty that he could never contain it.
This is perhaps the final irony and disappointment within the film. In a story where there is so much unnecessary suffering from so many destructively sinful choices, the spiritual message embedded within its frames is one of empty mysticism lacking form or substance - it simply drifts in on the wind and asks nothing of its worshipers nor offers any healing for their pains.
Although we will not reveal the mystery of Lester’s death, there is an underling message of the violence of suppressed homosexuality which so overtakes a person that they are willing to kill another.
One of the few defenses of the morality within the film is when Lester refrains from sexually abusing Angela. Although he does not stop because it would be immoral, or child abuse, or statutory rape, he does stop when he realizes she is a vulnerable virgin who has put a facade of sexual promiscuity upon her young soul in an attempt to deal with her own beauty and warped self-image.
“American Beauty” is not beautiful. This is a destructive film which engages the spirit in immoral fantasies and behaviors not worthy of the talent that created it.