American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes is one of my favorite films. Mendes’s sensitivity to each character’s unique point of view in the suburban world of the film is highlighted in this scene.

Sit-down dinners are often used as a familiar way for the audience to understand the relationship between characters. In this scene Mendes uses simple, direct coverage to allow the character’s to play out by themselves as tension rises.

First he establishes the set up with a wide angled shot. Something about the family seems off. Placing the dining table in the center of the room and frame creates a focused, intense view of the family. These wide shots emphasize the distance between each of them in space and in their relationships.

Typically in dialogue heavy scenes the talking person is in a mid-shot with the listener’s shoulder in the foreground, out of focus to the side of the frame. Mendes chooses to just have one character in the mid-shot which so we can fully appreciate the subtlety of their reaction and it makes them seem oddly far away like they’re in a court room on trial. 

Wide shot of the family of 3 establishes their spots for the scene. A clear even space between each of them. They are fixed in their seats even though they are yelling at the top of their lungs.

Kevin Spacey’s deadpan, sarcastic acting style is showcased in the climax of the sequence where he slowing raises the plate about to throw the asparagus that he previously was so desperate to obtain. The audience doesn’t know what he’s going to do for sure.  A clean upward tilt captures Lester’s dangerously slow rise from his seat. This shot takes its time, the way Lester does, relishing in his thought of throwing this platter of damned asparagus. The camera movement subtly follows his him as he retracts and is static when he is.

I think this scene is a great example of how simple camera movement and coverage can present a drama.