Re: American Beauty – Wow! --- All main characters are in either the Heart (Image) or Head (Fear) triad.

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: This movie reminded me of another one- The Ice Storm (Correct title?) They both have a go at the idealized American life revealing its superficiality and the fact that the youth are forgotten in this pattern. : I have read your comments and here is my view: : The father (Kevin Spacey)- E9. Lived a sedated life for years going along with the way his wife set up and controlled the family life. Too lazy to bring changes or to question out loud what is happening at work and at home. Although cynical about life does not do anything to be in charge until....Mark his words towards the end "I am content now." : The mother- E3. No question about it as everybody has said. To daughter "Do you know I had to live in a duplex? We didn't have a house like this at that time." : The realtor- E3. So phony! What can I say? : The daughter- E4. I agree with your comments. Sensitive, warm. : The daughter's friend- E3. Wants all the attention. Fears to be ordinary. When being kissed and made love to "Do you think I'm ordinary?" The sexual subtype. Has mind set on being a model. : The neighboring father- E6. I thought E1 for some time, but with his allegiance to the navy and Nazism and his behavior at the end he is more likely to be E6. : The neighboring mother- If we knew more about her I would have said E5. Cut out from the world. Maybe delusional. : The boy- E7. Alert. Knows his way around. Not afraid to leave home. Aware of the beauty in everyday things. His video of the fluttering leaves and the plastic bag in the wind was one of the most beautiful shots I ahve seen in any movie. Captures the essence of this movie. He is not withdrawn as an average 5 would be. His filming is not to observe or find out about the world, life, etc. but to establish an archive of what interests him. Remember, when asked why he was videoing he replied "I'm just curious." : Gigi : : : Posted by Dafyd on February 14, 2000 at 17:43:27: : : The story of a American suburban family and their neighbours. : : Almost everyone in the film is pretending to be someone that they aren't. : : ++ My $0.02 worth. : : Appearance / Ideals versus Reality. : : “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” : : Philip K. Dick (1928–82), U.S. science fiction writer. : : Definition given in 1972. : : Quoted in: I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon, “How to Build a Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later,” Introduction (1986) : : “What is meant by “reality”? It would seem to be something very erratic, very undependable — now to be found in a dusty road, now in a scrap of newspaper in the street, now a daffodil in the sun.” : : Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), British novelist. : : A Room Of One’s Own, ch. 6 (1929) : : Kevin Spacey's character, who is the hero, of sorts. 'In one year's time I'll be dead. Only I don't know it. But then, in a way I'm dead already.' For a change, Spacey stops playing bad guys, and plays a decent ordinary loser. Either a Six or a Nine. I'd go for saying he's a Six, who suddenly drops into Nine. He knows about the office politics, and he's prepared to use that knowledge to protect himself. He also begins the film fearing the worst. : : ++ E4w3 played by E4w3 Spacey. : : Downbeat (E4) more than he’s upbeat (E3). : : He rejects, gives up the American Dream of ‘Winners/Heroes and (consequently) Losers’. : : He’s discontented, dissatisfied; a ‘malcontent’, an Individualist who’s taken the system for so long that his rebellion finally explodes. This E4 has been attempting to ‘live a lie’ as a conformist Corporate cog (E6) for years, which is why he’s been feeling ‘dead’. If necessary, he’d enjoy using his subversive knowledge for vengeance (E4) and/or protection. : : His wife (Annette Bening) is a clear Three. 'To be a success one must at all times maintain an image of success.' She is also a manic workaholic. She demonstrates the insecurity that motivates Threes. : : The other realtor (Mr. King) is another Three with the same philosophy. : : ++ E3 King is convincingly played by an E7 and seems, to this viewer at least, to be played as a spoof on E3 Warren Beatty, Annette Bening’s real life hubby! [and the inspiration for Carly Simon’s song “You’re so vain”]. : : The daughter is just a teenager. She could be a Four. Or she could just be a teenager from a dysfunctional family. Although her friend claims not to want to be ordinary, she seems to be more worried by the possibility. : : ++ E4 played [beautifully and naturally] by an E4. Sensitive, tender, soulful and loving in the love scenes, with the subtlest facial and hand gestures ‘just right’. “Gross!” and dissatisfaction eye movements; her life revolves totally around ‘like/dislike’ polarities and complaint (‘The glass is half-empty’ syndrome), at least until love comes into her life. : : [Many Casting Directors lately seem to be using the enneagram to match actors to characters – these characters’ gestures and body-language (such as this daughter’s) are so authentic and natural, the actor doesn’t even need to, or at least seem to, ‘act’. In “An Ideal Husband” all actors except for Minnie Driver were matched. In “The Winslow Boy” all actors except the boy’s sister were matched.] : : Her friend, the cheerleader, is probably another Three. She puts forward an image of pride and seductiveness that conceal an inner insecurity. : : ++ Another beautiful and naturally convincing performance (E3 playing an E3). : : Their neighbour, Colonel Fitz. A One or a Six? Cases for both could be made. He could be seen as suppressing his desires and expressing violence when other people fail to conform to his standards. However, he could be projecting an image of aggressive masculine righteousness to cover his own insecurity, and react to deviations in other people as threats to his image. He's a master of projection. : : : : ++ This E6 ISTJ Ins

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