[Patreon Early Access] American Psycho (2000): Individuality through Conformity [Thematic Analysis] (Patreon)

I must admit that I’ve been a bit nervous with how this one will go over as I haven’t done a solely thematic analysis for this channel. I’ve been watching American Psycho a lot over the past few weeks. There is so much to talk about, but I’ve been really fascinated with how Mary Harron seems to deliberately shoot Bateman from the right or the left depending on the circumstance. The same goes for constantly lighting Bateman from the side.

As for the homogeny of the characters, I am reminded of what I talked about in the video I did on The French Connection about extending the character beyond the actor. In many ways, American Psycho is an even better example of this when you consider how Paul Allen manages to antagonize Bateman throughout the film despite a relatively short amount of screen time—whether it’s through his business card, his apartment, or even Dorsia, which only he can seem to get into.

I’m curious to hear what you think.

Thank you so much for your continued support!