AMERICAN BEAUTY ~ Plastic Bag Scene [HD]
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- Опубликовано: 16 май 2011
- "Do you want to see the most beautiful thing I ever filmed? It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing. And there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it, right? And this bag was just... dancing with me ... like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid. Ever. Video is a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember ... I need to remember...
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world ... I feel like I can't take it... and my heart is just going to cave in."
~Dialog and sound track from the movie "American Beauty." The soundtrack album was produced by Chris Douridas, Sam Mendes, and Michael Ostin, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in the year 2000, the first year to offer this award.
The soundtrack features two excerpts from the film's score, composed by Thomas Newman, which won several awards. Elliott Smith's cover of The Beatles song "Because" was the end credit for the film. The track "Dead Already" was later featured in the 2005 film Madagascar. Newman's 'Any Other Name' and 'Dead Already' were sampled by Jakatta for their house track "American Dream" in 2000. [source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American...]
Additional editing and photos at the end by: AquarielCharm (other channels are Aetopus, ShiftingReality RealityShifts, IntoTheLight911 and others ;)
/ aquarielcharm
A comment I like by youtube Somaholiday102: "The whole point of this scene and really the movie is to look closer. I mean, just listen to him...you think the scene is beautiful, but you're missing the actual beauty." December 2016.
The Benevolent force. 
Развлечения
I've watched this scene so many times in the past without actually watching the movie itself.
Tonight that changed. I've just finished the movie and it's even better than I could've imagined. And I'm just totally fascinated by Ricky (not so much him filming a dead homeless person), but more his perspective. I can just watch this scene and I feel... calm. A complete sense of wonder. And I think it's largely due to Wes Bentley's voice and the way he expresses such a profound message with such a tender approach.
I imagine some people watch this and think '...it's a plastic bag'. And I often feel shame for connecting with this. Embarrassment. But everything about this just screams beauty to me. I feel like we've become so desensitized to small wonders like these. I feel the same way with the stars too. I hope one day I can find similar-minded people who value beauty above material things. God, I hope I do.
I feel like I need to re watch this movie with my new perspective on life, I fear the first time I watched it I may not have fully experienced it. Your point about seeking higher value above material things has been on my mind for the past couple months. I'm 22 and I work at an established architecture firm and everyone around me is constantly talking about their car, cloths, house, watch, wife, golf clubs, and so on. They have so much importance on "their things" and I find it sickening. Part of me says, well you better get what they have or you'll never fit in, but I have another voice telling me to gtfo and do something crazy, like move to Paris and continue my study's on clinical psych.
In a way, this video helps me remember what true beauty is.
Life starts out a conquest of the world until one day you realize: everything you ever needed was right there in front of you.
The character has the eyes of a kid.
Here we are.
Very beautiful comment Sam. imho Ricky's inner strength in the film shines through, he is bold without being rude or even self conscious. A real human being, fascinated with nature like a child before succumbing to what society deems respectful or worthy. Star Constellations are spoken of in the Christian Bible like Orion the hunter and the Pleiades. Also the expansion rate of the Universe is revealed as being controlled by God! Jesus is the way my brother. The Gospel of John is an excellent place to start learning the power of the Gospel. God bless you.
Every human being on this planet should watch this scene...
Agreed!
why?
Conrad Henriksen Schizophrenia makes you say stupid shit as your mind rips itself apart.
Conrad Henriksen because they could learn something
+guillermija And only one out of ten gets it...Like telling blind people what red is like.
This movie just makes you see life in a different way
+Meaty Games Thats exactly why its my favorite movie. Ever.
es una pelicula muy profunda... entre mis favoritas. Saludos entre guiris compatriota ;)
vivan los churros
Always amazes me how people fail to appreciate this scene given the *context*. It's not saying that the world is beautiful, or the bag is beautiful, or that life has special meaning. If there's anything its definitively saying... its showing us that a boy who was raised by a distant, abusive father still sees meaning and beauty in the world, even in the smallest of things... perhaps to the point of being odd. He's not trying to convince Thora Birch's character or the audience... he's confessing and sharing his truth.
This is exactly what I think about this scene (:
Preach! That's exactly the way I saw it. This guy has to lead a suppressed life because of his father and from that he sees beauty in the smallest things.
i think even out of context, it is a very beautiful and touching video somehow
Brilliantly articulated. There must have been millions of young men and women who felt so related to scene.
I'd accept this definition rather than the stupid one that says it's about "existance"
This scene means more than we may realize.
@Desert Fox
ok prof
A lot of people shit on this scene and rebuff it as some sort of pretentious snobbery from the filmakers (FG didn't help with this either).
Yet the frame composition is amazing. The whole scene rests upon seeing beauty from the ordinary. The character saw a floating bag and saw a ballet of sorts from what everyone else would have dismissed. That's what art is all about. Shedding light, or casting shadows for that matter, on this thing we called life.
The whole monologue by itself is a great piece of movie making writing. Not pretentious, self-indulgent, or trying to be too intelectual. It resonates with the audience.
But asides that, the montage is a genius trick that only a medium like film can portray. You are watching a stationary camera record a handheld camera that's trying to capture a moving object in a swinging manner. You yourself as the viewer are sitting down but you feel a sense of inertia from watching that effect on film, thus unknowingly or unwillingly dancing with the bag.
Well, I definitely didn't expect to see you here.
@@igunashiodesu Amazing explanation, I couldn't say any better. Thank you.
@@igunashiodesu Yeah, very well said. In a sense the fact it is an ordinary occurrence, not necessarily seen as beautiful, is what makes it beautiful.
I literally cried when he said " Sometimes there is so much beauty in the world, I fee like I can't take it" because I have experienced that feeling many times, especially in nature when I'm alone contemplating or meditating. It's an overwhelming feeling that's hard to explain, as if you have suddenly awoken or stepped into heaven. right there in the moment you become fully conscious!
This scene was so beautiful! Imagine finding someone who understands you on this level instead of thinking you're some kind of a creep or a weirdo.
I almost cried too. Life is beautiful, so many people are to busy with other things like their phones for example that they dont actually realize how beautiful this world really is and what a blessing it is to be alive.
How long do you meditate before you feel that?
@@aliasofanalias7448 sometimes it comes at you before you know it, I simply get it by being fully present while filtering (seeing) things through the lens of my own feelings. It's something like how Van Gogh painted the starry night painting, in his heart and soul that's exactly how he saw it and felt about it, and that's the biggest reason why that painting is a masterpiece.
@@coolamericano Wow, interesting of you to mention my favourite painting, not that it's the greatest if coincidences. Although it's almost like the exact combination of words to inspire me were already there and you are just a conduit for them, weird. You're very spiritual aren't you. I used to be but I strayed and now I'm not sure what I believe, but enough tangents.
Would you mind telling me a bit more about your process? I used to meditate, when I was younger I had a lot of OBE's (not sure if they're real or just a head trip). As I got older I've really struggled to go to that place again.
@@aliasofanalias7448 I'm afraid I don't have a process for that. It has to do a lot with personality as well I believe (strong emotion & intuition in particular) I personally have very deep feelings and I am completely in tune with and aware of them. I rely heavily on my intuition as well which makes me see things for what they're not and what they could be instead. In other words, you need to have a rich inner world within you.
If you know anything about #MBTI typology you'd know that Van Gogh was an INFP (idealist) personality, which happens to be mine as well. We're very idealistic, dreamy people, and naturally it's almost impossible for us to see things for they really are, so we see beauty where people don't.
this scene changed my life.
That Thomas Newman music in the background is haunting and absolutely stunning.
Yes
I'm one of those people who get goosebumps watching this scene...I understand the essence of it, the randomness and beauty of life which sometimes is hidden behind small things and details which make you wonder if there is any logic or reason why we exist on this planet, only to realize that there is a greater force out there watching over us....
@@davidpearson6346 Do you mean my profile pic? It's from the X-Files and not Donnie darko 😁
I literally just recorded this happening irl today after I finished my workout at our neighborhood gym, lol!😂
American Beauty, Donnie Darko, Take Shelter, Memento, are all films that move me beyond words. Something spiritual and beautiful and emotional.
Unforgetable scene. I remember watching it over and over again 15 years ago during my cancer treatment..
Glad u survive.
@@basssass2665 Thank you so much. Greetings to Australia from Czech republic.
@@zorelwood243 Thank you
@@martinkotalik9455 you're so welcome
Král
You either love this scene or hate it. I love it so much. One of the most moving scenes I've ever seen. One of my favorite movies ever. A true privilege to watch.
nearly 20 years since it came out - how mind blowing is that!
ipat202 agreed
I'm not crying you're crying
The interesting thing is that I 100% understand why people hate it, and 100% understand why people love it. I don't see the point in trying to convince people it's one way or another, since it's clear the screenwriter/director intended for both perspectives (stupid scene vs. profound scene).
I have felt this scene my whole life, melancholic, beautiful,lonely.
I'm there with you Josh.
Same here
The world is controlled by psychopaths.Ricky is one of the very few sane people
Same Josh
@@davidsimpson9647 and the funny thing is that he gets called a psychopath for being the way he is and accepting himself fully.
It's interesting to see in what direction society is headed.
Some day somebody who is smiling will be called a psychopath or a drug addict.
I can see why people watch this scene on its own and would call it pretentious but in the context of the movie it's a beautiful piece of art and has to be seen within the other moving parts of the movie for it to have any meaning, it's a great scene and part of my favorite movie ever
It is not pretentious, it is simply one person's view of simple beauty that we miss every day. IMHO it is lovely and unique
I watched this scene as a teenager and thought it was so profound. But 10 years later it makes me laugh. It's a bag in the wind. Any meaning a person gleams from it is entirely contrived. There's nothing innately beautiful about it.
@@siglan6148 Then you missed the entirety of the point. I pity you.
One of the greatest scenes in American cinema history. An absolutely brilliant movie.
That's how despair just pushes you towards finding beauty in anything you could reach.
And then you find it to your surprise that everything is beautiful in this world.
I agree
@@nothingphenomenal1824 depends on how you view beauty
Do you ever gaze into the stars at night and feel something similar?
Adrien Muller I get a similar feeling when I drive past a graveyard that my uncle is buried at on my way to work.. something about seeing the sunrise and seeing the grass and gravestones sparkle in the light gives me a comforting feeling.. It's hard to explain, but it's a beautiful feeling.
Absolutely, you can see this everywhere. In each person in each image in all life.
Only when I listen to music...
@@avamasquerade An undefinable longing to connect with the infinite that is us.
Very poignant
One of the most powerful moments in cinema
One of the greatest scenes in cinematic history… But also one of the greatest musical SCORES, by the AMAZING Thomas Newman!!! … I mean, just listen to those subtle choices of instruments and the willingness to be gentle and not hit anything hard over the head with an instrument, but allowing the emotion to drive it… Indeed, subtlety; that's part of the genius of Mr. Newman.
Agreed!
ExExactly
That was the first thing I noticed! Thanks for the info/name I'm actually going to ask an accompanist if he can do this for us.
If you've never felt that force, find it. You deserve to feel that awe inspiring sense of connection and peace.
Why so when other people notice your noticing it in you they can try to crush the recognition out of... my life again and again.
Then because your so bad at being angry hating you just get crushed you don't even defend yourself you smile.
I'm trying to learn how love has teeth....
@@Lion-rf8xi you alright there?
@@natecw4164 Yeah just... There's a scene in fight club where Brad pit ses to Edward Norton after he smashes the blonde kids face at fight club.
"What got into you."
Edward replies "I felt like destroying something beautifull."
There's a saying hide your shine.
You ever notice how in the summer the insects always gather around the street lights...
I always felt "that force" but some people cannot and never will.
The closest they can ever come to the light is taking it away from someone shining it.
You learn to hide your shine bury it like a treasure, eventually you forget where you buried it.
So many people walking around with buried treasure often forgetting... Yarr there be pirates here.
Remember this song from Sunday school "this little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine this little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine.... Won't let Satan hoooof it out I'm gonna let it shine let it shine let it shine.
Priests are like can be very insect like attracted to the light... I knew a guy his light was buried deep and covered in the darkness a priest left him.
You know they walk among us they live and they hate it when they got one that can see...
You tell me what all right is and I'll tell you if I'm it.
@@Lion-rf8xi lad tf are you on
@@Lion-rf8xi If you know such light, then you should know as well that there is no such thing as "YOUR" life, only ONE life that contains, at the same time, nothing and everything (everything being a timely creation out of nothing). If you sense that, then you shall also know that nothing can be personal to you, because you are nothing as well (just a temporary and impermanent creation). If you can distance yourself enough from what is, to that point, considered to be "you", you may find stillness (between breathes, thoughts, intents). Dedicate it your entire being, learn to sit there when you feel troubled, and you shall discover the depth of inner-peace.
Guys the point is that he's projecting his feelings and longings into that plastic bag and he sees hope, love and clarity. Its BRILLIANT:)
Best scene in any movie I've ever seen. Whoever wrote this didn't just make it up. They had this experience. And it's easy to tell by reading the comments who else has had it as well.
Not everything can be taught. Sometimes, it can only be learned.
I remember reading an interview with Alan Ball where he confirmed that he did base this scene on a personal experience.
Jacob Wolpert, I can't see how anybody could come up with this scene without having a similar experience. It already sounds stupid on paper, and seems stupid to many people even in film.
Alan Ball, the film's screenwriter, mentioned a similar experience he had during his Oscar speech. It was a bag floating in the wind behind the World Trade Center in NYC. That was his inspiration for his screenplay.
Most enlightened Hollywood scene ever made. I remember it very often during my life. Very often..
I had shown this film to my friends in classrooms, they were all behind me watching the computer, and then they were disappointed when Lester died at the end
Vlad Baje ❤️❤️
Agree
Emotional intimacy and spiritual truth almost always make the immature uncomfortable and frightened. They respond with childish and often ignorant derision that is both inappropriate and callow in the face of love. You can always mark the fool, by his foolish response to that which is profound and deep beyond his measure.
Thank you for that comment.
Amen with your comment. You hit the nail on the head.
Well said. The comments on this youtube thread show a stark contrast, much more than any other I've seen on this website.
american beauty changed me as a person
May I ask how so?
@@tebogotlhoaele3273 it made me look at life in a totally different way rather than taking everything at face value
Angela Lopez totally agree with you
I still hate life
Me too. It's been 19 years but me too
I watched this movie with a couple of friends. We were all laughing in most of the movie but this scene man , this scene connected with me in such a deep level. I swear to you i teared and i hide it from my friends. When i went home i saw this scene so many times , along with lesters ending speech. I was so close to missing the point but it hit me close to heart. This scene is not about the plastic bag "playing" with the wind. Dont be so blind as to see the material. He even said "video is a poor excuse" . He is watching the video while talking but its not about the video. Its about the beauty of the world projected in the plastic bag. There are way more things in life than your everyday struggles. There are way more things in life than just plastic bags . Once you see the beauty of the world then you will get this scene. Then you will return to this movie and watch this scene only to remember what you allready learned. I believe most people dont appreciate their time here in the world , they cant see behind the scene , they havent seen what beauty is according to the film maker. They havent found their own beauty. They are too busy living their lives to live their life. Stand still and observe. The birds in the sky flying in circles , the trees dancing the same way this plastic bag dancing , the dogs running around enjoying life way more than me and you. And so much more. I believe the film maker put a plastic bag in this scene only to show that even something as meaningless as a plastic bag , can make you remember what this world is all about. Beauty. In the world . In you. I think every human will understand what this movie is about at one point of their lives. But if you dont see it , its ok just remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it and then it will flow through you like rain and you wont feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of your stupid little life. If you still dont get it dont worry, you will some day
exactly thank you, some people don't try to understand.
Brilliantly said
G
A
Y
Absolutely brilliantly put....amazing!!!!!
Wow that was truly amazing. How you were able to fuckin, just like fuckin, make yourself sound like an absolute goth prick.
13 year old me: this scene moved me to tears
24 year old me: pretentious artsy sentimental garbage scene…cringe
35 year old me: this scene moved me to tears
Funny how life changes as you get older and then changes again
A scene, that to me, emphasizes the beauty of all things (yes even the horrible) in this incredible journey we all find ourselves in, a journey called life.
This scene says so much more than it shows.
In this era of mobile phones, I have often seen my friends, who cannot stay/ wait at a place for more than a few minutes. Whenever, I hear that kind of talk - about impatience and getting bored, I'm reminded on this beautiful scene I first saw over a decade ago - how beauty lies in the most unexpected of places, and everywhere, and its just waiting to be explored by the right pair of eyes.
I've known people who are so wrapped up (in whatever) that they don't notice simple beauties in life like flowers, trees, sunsets... kind of odd and reminds me of JLP song "Don't Let The World Pass You By" (no words, but the feeling). It'd be sad to get to the end of life after just starting to appreciate all the beauty on Earth (even during a pandemic or any other circumstance... best of all, it doesn't take a lot of time and it's FREE!!!)
Till this movie I never realized how numb I've actually grown, and everybody else as well for that matter. Matter fact, even as I kid I don't think I was aware of beauty that lived everywhere even in the bad or most dull things. We were never trained to have this sensitive eye, therefore the world seems even worse everyday..
This scene truly marked me for good and I've tried to live my life by its content ever since. It's hard, real hard, but man its worth it..
Even though this kid is bizarre, I think the message is we overly complicate our lives instead of embracing the simplicity. I really respect this movie’s premise.
i have no idea why but all these years later as I have a moment of gratitude that just overwhelmed me I thought of this scene and had to find it....wow brilliance...
Gotta admit, watching that plastic bag in the wind and hearing him describe its beauty was strangely hypnotising. I couldn't take my eyes/mind off of it.
It's visual poetry. Ricky is using it to help him perceive life on a deeper level, and as viewers we have the chance to perceive the same. There, nailed it! lol
This is one of the best scenes ever in cinematic history. A plastic bag ! Simplicity = Genius .
LOL you need to go to the cinema more often if you consider this one of the best in cinematic history
@@halamadrid19791 It is indeed one of the best scenes ever in cinematic history. David Ellis is right.
@@erawa2740 This was very pretentious.
Y'all act like the director and screenwriter didn't know what they were doing. It was intentionally pretentious and profound at the same time.
This is the best scene in American cinematic history
False
@@MegaSteven011 not false
@@eddymunnyz7315 can you educate me on why it’s so great please. I think I get what they’re saying but the plastic bag takes me out of it.
This scene means more to me than i think anyone else could understand. I Iisten to this when im in that that dark place and i have no more hope to keep going. I need to remember ❤
Me 2
That's beautiful. I'll probably never meet you and ill never know who you are, but I honor knowing that we all share emotions. We all share the feeling this scene is attempting to describe. Grief, love, loneliness, belonging. We all experience it and none of us can describe it. We aren't evolved enough as a species.
Watch the entire world collapse and expand simultaneously until its all gone for a split second, then it reappears, and there's no more fear.
“Sometimes there is so much beauty in the world I feel like my heart is going to cave in”. I thought I was the only one that felt that until I watched this movie. This movie gets it.
This was me at one incredible moment that changed my life. I always knew that there was something behind everything I was seeing, feeling & experiencing, it just took that one particular moment, & me being completely quiet inside & out, to have it revealed to me. This is one of the greatest moments of any film ever made.
you probably smoke marijuana
@@kezias9468 Gave that up a long time ago. It's far too powerful these days. I miss the snap crackle pop of seeds. As well, there's no need for a roach clip when one puff drops me.
When I first saw this scene with a couple of friends, we all started laughing. I think personally I found it so absurdily beautiful that I didn’t know how to react. Now that I rewatch it, it makes me emotional in a completely different way. I think that’s what great art can do.
i just saw this for the first time ...it gave me a feeling similar to Jackson Pollock's Autumn Rhythm ...great art takes you somewhere
When I saw it the first time, I thought it was shit.
Saw it the second time, I thought it was pretentious shit.
Still like the movie though.
Yes! The operative phrase is "the secret life behind everything". If you are aware of it then you have been given a gift.
This is one of the best movie scenes I have ever watched.
Me too
possibly the most hauntingly beautiful music score
+Pascoe Braun, Yes, without Thomas Newman's background piece how effective would this scene be? Great birthday there Thomas - 20th October :)
As I near the end of my life, it's scenes like this which bring me to tears. So many things I didn't pay attention to...and bam. Here I am with a complex pain condition the doctors know not what to do. So..I'm left with a mind which still works, and all these pent-up emotions leaking out of my pores. All of my so called accomplishments are shit. I've lost whatever friends I thought I had, and pushed everyone else away. My own family doesn't give a shit, but I remain steadfast I am a product of my own upbringing.
TheDimachaerus wish you the best of luck, try to be strong!
I care, and I know others do too, including 10 who clicked Like..You don't have to push people away if you don't want to any more, and your having the courage (seriously) to say what you did here and post that is a step, so thank you for sharing from your heart. Our hearts and our love matter more than our accomplishments, that goes for all of us, each caring act is a ripple that creates waves that go forever into the rest of the world, is my belief. I wish you the best wish your medical issues and wish the challenges, mental emotional and spiritual that come with that, like I said, your posting here shows you have strength but also shoes you have caring inside you to reach out like you did. Last comment, very small little thing but, if you enjoy videos of heartwarming people loving animals and saving animals and helping disabled animals (and sometimes being helped and always being loved back by the animals) check out The Dodo channel on youtube..for many of us it's a weekly or even daily dose of warmth and love that makes each day just a little bit easier and happier. Peace to you
Sorry you're suffering. But you can see NOW, and can be moved, inspired. It doesn't matter when we come to that point, just that we do. I wish you all the best.
The piano score makes ur comment more epic
TheDimachaerus This world is a some kind of limbo. Maybe some kind of a test in a way. Dont be afraid of the death, It might be a portal to some better place. Lots of people have clinical death and come back alive and remember feeling really free from all this bullshit. Thats how I felt on mushrooms. Dont cling to this physical realm, thats also what buddhists say. The stuff on this world doesnt really matter. Thats why they make those complex mandalas and then burn them. When my time comes I will greet death as a friend. Dont be afraid, and I wish you well.
This scene was so powerful when I was a kid. I saw what he saw. I knew what he was talking about. I felt the same way as he did. Now I'm older and I no longer feel that way. This scene doesn't speak to me anymore. Really makes me think. Have I taken a wrong turn somewhere or did life just finally got to me?
life got you, you became afraid.
I was thinking the same
You saw what you needed to see at the time, perhaps like me to believe there was 'something' and no reason to be afraid. This scene - probably stopped me taking my own llfe when I was 16. I learned about Alan Ball and watched Six feet under - and like a Buddhist when I no longer needed a tool I simply put it down and moved on. I still think this scene says that.
great show
Medetation and yoga, brother. Run out from big cities.
It's all about seeing things that others can't. Or won't. I love this movie because it's deep and philosophical.
Matt Brewster very true!
Not the movie, per sé, but that character's philosophy in life.
Am I the only one who sees so much pain in this scene? It's like he was trying to say that he regrets so much that he can't find that beauty in his own life, because of the way people became? because they are blind to what the world offers? and they are focusing on irrelevant things? This boy is so broken, because of the limits that people brought into life when there's so forgotten beauty in the world. God, he feels so lonely. I feel the same.
I haven't laughed so hard in weeks. Thank you.
shitnrun You're welcome... so what is so funny about it?
delena bellatrixx "shitnrun" reveals his paper thin persona and that his name is closer to a truth self description than he himself realizes. This poor person is in denial about the beauty of being able to feel and express valid emotions.
He takes the coward's road of using a fraudulent persona (in the psychology of C.G. Jung - the mask or façade presented to satisfy the perceived demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the true inner personality of the individual; i.e., a fake public personality) of sarcastic insensitivity.
He hopes this behaviour will be perceived as being clever and cool without realizing that the "low lifes" he is trying to impress and entertain are not cool; they are emotionally, stunted losers in the game of life. This therefore places him at the bottom of the social barrel.
Furthermore, he is too scared to acknowledge or admit to having any sensitivity for fear of being perceived as unmasculine, weak or even gay, thereby showing the ultimate weakness of personality - that of not being able hold or express a valid opinion of his own. So this sad creature, this contaminated child, continues to use his crusty thin persona - in the hope of being accepted by those he fears. A sad case of social inferiority, lack of intelligence and arrested development.
shitnrun "shitnrun" reveals his paper thin persona and that his name is closer to the truth as a self description than he himself realizes. This poor person is in denial about the beauty of being able to feel and express valid emotions.
He takes the coward's road of using a fraudulent persona (in the psychology of C.G. Jung - the mask or façade presented to satisfy the perceived demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the true inner personality of the individual; i.e., a fake public personality) of sarcastic insensitivity.
He hopes this behaviour will be perceived as being clever and cool without realizing that the "low lifes" he is trying to impress and entertain are not cool; they are emotionally stunted losers in the game of life. This, therefore, places him at the bottom of the social barrel.
Furthermore, he is too scared to acknowledge or admit to having any sensitivity for fear of being perceived as unmasculine, weak or even gay, thereby showing the ultimate weakness of personality - that of not being able hold or express a valid opinion of his own. So this sad creature, this contaminated child, continues to use his crusty thin persona - in the hope of being accepted by those he fears. A sad case of social inferiority, fear, lack of intelligence and arrested development.
:)
This is pure cinema
Agreed
Always been a sensitive soul ever since I was a kid I laugh at the jokes made about this. But as I’m sat here watching the movie this scene never ceases To make me tear up. If you feel the same know we have most likely been in limbo land for a long time and this is our first time back. We see beauty in everything 🤣
It's easy to mock the earnestness of this scene, but it definitely speaks to a lot of people. I think sometimes we've all felt that life is much more meaningful than it's easy to give credit for, and it's a healthy thing to hold on to a reverence for life and its rich possibilities
Back watching this again while feeling pretty fearful about the future late at night. Have a feeling that I've ignored all the happiness in my life, all the beauty like this because I've been caught up in all those anxieties. I'm only human, I guess, but it's still a bit disappointing.
It's just some trash blowing in the wind!
Thomas Newman's "American Beauty" theme music has ALWAYS touched my soul, and makes me ACHE for something I cannot define (And I'm normally not the most "spiritual" of people) but this soundtrack just DOES this to me. So much so that driving to my mother's funeral 9 years ago, I purposely listened to it, just to reinforce its power on me. The single piano with string accompaniment is such a DEEPLY moving motif.
Walter, I know exactly how you feel. There is something mystical about that theme song during the dancing bag part of the movie. I listen to it on my way to work in the morning. It transforms me into looking at life and analyzing my own . It also touches my soul and makes me think of the higher power in the world and how much we each need that in our lives. I am a photographer and its true there is so much beauty out there that the average person does not see. I notice this more when i am photographing nature. There are worlds within worlds out there. So much to see and so much to experience.
@@mikelangley3919 Bang on Michael. I've always had an appreciation of nature, inspite (or more likely because) of being born and raised in an inner city, but until my 40s I never ever ever really thought of it as being "spiritual".
My current "modus operandi" in life is mainly avoiding all the negativity that is now CONSTANTLY directed at us in the "hoi polloi" by the MSM, and keeping life as full of any positivity & beauty, wherever I find it... sometimes as is so ably described in here in the film, in the most unusal of places.
Best wishes to you and yours from the UK.
Agreed. Powerful movie and score.
this comment section is really weird. on one hand there are all the people who dont get the scene, but on the other hand you cant explain it without seeming really pretentious or fake. unfortunately you have to have a certain perspective on life to appreciate this scene. its sad so many people cant appreciate this. youre missing out.
Most beautiful scene in the world!
It’s a great scene, but not because it was genuinely deep.
Nicely put.
Which hand are you on? Haha
So grateful for this scene. These are the exact words I remember when I think back to my spiritual awakening.
So impressed with Wes Bentley's performance in this scene -- the intense emotion on his face by what his character is feeling.
And it gets me every time.
+sulu I dont think ive ever seen acting this good. to actually convince me hes a actually sociopath with no feelings. this scene is amazing.
I cry with this shit every time I watch It. Maybe one of the most touching scenes I've ever seen. Masterpiece by Mendes.
Alan Ball deserves credit for his writing of this scene.
A rare instance of a great script, perfect soundtrack, fantastic visuals and flawless acting colliding.
One of the most simplest of tunes - the range of a fourth over a bed of basic open fifths, yet it's taken its place among the most beautiful compositions from this generation.
In my opinion, this is one of the best scenes of the movie, so emotional. That time, I saw the movie in the cinema and had tears in my eyes. This moment is deeply touching, inspiring mind and soul. The music by Thomas Newman in the background of the scene is a masterpiece, same as the movie itself
Only a few people will understand. People who can relate to what he’s saying.
One of the most beautiful scenes of contemporary cinema. Extremely poetic and philosophical.
True
This scene is just PERFECT .. one of the best scenes ever .. so simple yet so genius .. so emotionally striking .. you can letterally feel every word .. the cinematography fits in well .. the writing is phenomenal. . The score is just perfect .. and the performances especially the guy ( i don't know his name) are just awesome
The feeling you have when u first watch this scene is indescribable ❤
FINISH HIM it’s Wes Bentley I think
FINISH HIM Totally agree
It won an Oscar man that's proof
Best scene in movie history, best movie in movie history......love it so much.
alan attck noits nt lol
@@Liamnerfdude1 totally is
Those who find this scene ridiculous have lost their inner child.
No one finds this scene ridiculous
@@117MasterSpartan Well, i actually find comments which say so...
Frank Jaeger this isn’t anime
Frank Jaeger You’re right
Noah Anderson your on the wrong channel this isn’t rooster teeth
This scene is amazing
This movie is "beautifully disturbing" but,nevertheless a #classic
And you are amazing!
...it's as if script writer is talking to us directly. Video of a plastic bag is so absurdly simple it almost feels like it's genuine footage taken in one random "magical" moment and not a preconceived movie scene. One simple lucid moment perfectly conveyed by equally simple but hauntingly repetitive music. Pure genius on multiple levels...
If you don't understand this, then don't worry,
You will someday!
This scene lives rent free in my head, every time I see a plastic bag being carried away by the wind I think of this beautiful scene 🌅
Reminds me of my childhood when leaves would swirl around in the corner of my elementary school. That felt magical then and it still does now.
@@maryjanka9561oh yeah ❤
One of the few scenes in film that has ever touched me. I wept like a child
That awkward moment when the guy you thought was a creepy fucked up stalker freak turns out to be this beautiful person who knows more about the meaning of life than you ever took the time to realize.
Maybe the creepy messed-up stalker is also this beautiful person when in control of his madness.
I always knew this scene was well written and acted. But as I've gotten older and have kids who have grown up, I have come to see beauty in the simplest things in life, like family, nature, and the senses. The words in this scene really are meaningful to me now.
I cried while watching this scene
Me too, every time i see it
I think everyone cried while all scene. Glass... yummy.
The Beauty Within the Mundane:
"American Beauty" captivated audiences with its portrayal of finding beauty amidst the ordinary. One poignant scene features Ricky sharing his video of a plastic bag dancing in the wind with Jane. He expresses, "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in." These words resonate with the viewers, showcasing a shared appreciation for the profound beauty that exists within the seemingly mundane aspects of life. This scene and Lester's final words converge, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and embracing the inherent beauty in the world around us.
It’s interesting how so many people laughed at this scene. But those of us who got it really got it. This scene somehow captured the ache in my heart that I’ve have since I was a child.
I remember being on a bus when I was about 20 years old and the sun was just setting and it looked beautiful so I took a picture. A group of girls in front of me reacted with trepidation and asked if it was them I had photographed. I reassured them and showed them the picture. They didn’t understand why, one of them even said, “there’s nothing there, why did you take the picture.” They were still convinced I was a pervert and spent the rest of the journey yelling abuse at me and tried to have me thrown off the bus. Always think of that day with this scene and Ricky Fitts.
I mean you have to experience certain things to understand what this is about, right?
@@johnwheatley5641this is sad.
😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
The people who laugh at this scene, or dislike this movie, are not the deep thinking types. The people who enjoy this scene and find emotion in it are the ones with an open minds to see the beauty in simple things like this.
“but it helps to remember, i need to remember” shit had me bawling seriously this is the most touching movie i coulda ever dreamt up
American Beauty is such a good movie it is hard to put into words. It is just so thought provoking and above all else...honest.
Every time I do magic mushrooms I feel overwhelmed at how beautiful life really is
Same ❤️
you missed the point of movie and life. Sad
I take this scene and this film to mean: don't be Atlas, don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, instead, let the world carry your weight.
The universe, the world and all the people and things in it are collectively, infinitely more mysterious and powerful than us.
We can't push life around, but when we surrender, we realize we never had to, the world is fundamentally for us, in spite of all the pain and suffering, even because of it, there is beauty, and that's how we can find beauty, even in lowly places, by changing our perspective.
If the world were essentially hostile, we wouldn't be here at all.
You can't swim against the current, so go with it.
Man can build dams, attempt to change the course and direction of things, but ultimately, nature, the passage of time, birth, growth, death and decay, will prevail. Adversity makes life precious, challenges help us grow and give birth, the ultimate challenge is figuring out challenges themselves are not our enemies, but our friends.
The bag represents you.
The wind represents nature.
The bag is not as autonomous as it thinks it is, it's animation is dependent on the wind, and yet, being dependent is a beautiful thing.
You can't control the sun, you can't control the wind and the rain, or the millions of transactions going on around between nature and man, and man and man, and yet, all these things support us.
Of course that doesn't mean we don't have to do anything to support ourselves and others, we have a part to play in it, but our role is much smaller than we tend to think.
Acedia Tristitia What an incredible interpretation Acedia, this exact train of thought have been occuring in my head multiple times over the past months. And i truly see how the bag represents every single human existence and how we're unable to control the future and our own lifes... (Even though we can control some things naturally)
Some people who are unaware of the knowing, that the "wind" is controlling our lifes wether we like it or not, is going to feel such pain, and be disappointed as they see it as themselves failing in life, as things are not going as planned... When in reality what they're experiencing is life itself! And that is beautiful!
Can you follow my thought?
Spot on!!
+Acedia Tristitia Extremely well said. Thanks for that. I work as an airline pilot and have many moments like this throughout my day. Thanks again for the words.
+Acedia Tristitia I *never* login and reply to RUclips videos...but you stopped my heart. That is screenshot worthy. What an amazing, open mind you have! What a beautiful person you are!
+Acedia Tristitia Indeed. Just don't forget that "you can't change the wind, but you can adjust your sails"
This is the most beautiful scene in cinematography!!!
These words are probably the most important one's I had ever heard in my life. I had been obsessing over relatability for years, and how other people could relate to everyday things, everyday words. I could not. I felt like an outcast, I felt lost. A dear friend of mine and I tried desperately to find me a poem, a book, a song, a story that resonated to me. Something that wouldn't make me feel so isolated. Then, I saw American Beauty for the first time. And I finally found it. These words, these powerful words. I felt them too, the 'caving heart' I used to call it. Passion so overwhelming I could physically feel it. And for once, I related to something real. I soon learned that everyone found these words either beautiful but unrealistic, or 'pretentious'. It hurt to see that, and I felt alone again. I have searched and searched, but to this day I have not found anyone in my life who truly feels these words. Who feels lifes everyday beauty so intensely that you can feel it in your chest. And perhaps I never will. But I am lucky to be so passionate, I am lucky to feel this way- though often it can be too overwhelming. But it has allowed me to appreciate life, it has allowed me to be free.
Ian F I know it and love it, too💕....and there are others...
Ian, I relate completely. I'm a "deep feeler," as one of my friends once said, or "highly sensitive" or "empathic." I love your phrase, the "caving heart." This scene in American Beauty has been seminal for me for years and years...I actually came over to RUclips to find it and post it on Facebook as a metaphor for something I'm experiencing right now. So...you're not alone. I promise you.
I remember when I saw this movie the very first time. The music, this monologue. I remember just being silent, embracing the words and the emotions this scene has. I feel the same way Ian. Whenever I try to explain someone life how I see it, there is life behind everything, and too much beauty that it's inconceivable, but I couldn't project what I meant. Then I saw this movie, and I burst out in tears, because it hit that exact spot, what I mean. Now when I can, I show this scene to anyone who I'm talking to, mostly it works.
I'm free, glad that I'm living with everything else.
Lara Yule Singh That really is wonderful to hear, a real relief. Thank you :)
IlaughedIcried Your friend has a lovely way of putting it. It's lovely to hear I'm not alone in feeling this
“It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.”
Possibly this scene would not be the same without the music of Newman. It's the importance of music in cinema.
Honestly one of the best themes to a movie ever and it’s so simplistic but so powerful.
I pity those who says the scene is stupid, they can go watch The fast and the furious instead.
They dont understand because they have never felt it.
ikr? even tho i don’t actually like the whole movie, this scene is one of the most beautiful scenes ive ever seen in any movie and it made me cry. It’s so pure, meaningful and beautiful and on top of that i relate very deeply to his words.
or new Marvel movie
Or, American Pie instead of American Beauty
So true. Its riveting actually.
I’ve actually had moments in life like this where for some reason I’ve just stopped dead in my tracks and taken in my surroundings and been like omg life is beautiful for instance I was having a cigarette at work it was snowing and where I was was near a canal and fields and the snow was a blanket all around me untouched not a single footprint and the morning sun was coming up it overwhelmed me it was beautiful!
I had a feeling like that in Amble in Northumberland three years ago. We were on the pier in the sunset, my friends walked on and I stood in the peace and quiet by myself. It was wonderful.
I’ve had those moments too. I think anyone who has them is VERY lucky and needs to always remember it and appreciate it. Such memories can get us through the darkest times in our lives
@@EphemeralProductions Very true
This is exactly how I feel sometimes when I'm walking home of an evening, when it's so quiet and nearly dark, it's as if i'm so overwhelmed with what I am and where I am - like my chests is going to burst with emotion.
One of the greatest movies ever
Agreed. Have you watched Six Feet Under?
@@GoHomeAndGetYaFuckinShinebox I just started watching 2 days ago...and I'm already missing it 😭...each episode is so beautiful and the humour is some of the best...the reason I started watching Six Feet Under is because I really like content surrounding grief, mortality & the meaning of life(The Leftovers being in my Top 3 shows). Also the creator of the show is Alan Ball who wrote American Beauty, so I knew I won't be disappointed.
@Vighnesh Pillai yes, SFU really is a masterpiece. One of the greatest endings I think I have ever seen to any show or film. Enjoy!
That scene. I’ll never forget it. He is an amazing actor…
This is Infact one of the most beautiful scene of the film along with many others. The way actors and directors and all the team did it is simply splendid. This scene has a profound message and meaning for life and seeking it's existence within the individual soul being confined and caged seeking refuge out of it. ✨🌠
Exactly
Is it just trash blowing in the wind, yes from one perspective, from another it demonstrates the underlying intrinsic forces that help govern everything, like a tree blowing in the wind, birds singing, or the ocean breaking on the beach, night and day, that ebbing and flowing is all around us, in the furthest reaches of the Universe to the inner workings of the neurons in our brains, air flowing in/out of our lungs. Everything is connected. Order in the chaos. I think this scene reminds us that we have a special privileged vantage point in this existence, we are the Universe experiencing itself for a few brief years.
I think as you learn to meditate you are gifted moments like this, stillness that can only be described as blissful and eternal. As pretentious as it all may sound. I wished more people could see the beauty in simple things, it can bring great comfort in times of despair.
Time heals when reason can not.
It shows how simple life is .... we will not take anything when we leave, hopefully everyone can enjoy the little things, this is happiness
It could take a whole lifetime to understand the meaning in this movie scene.
hopefully not that much!
The bag shows no resistance to the wind and it just flows.it shows that we shouldn't be scared of change and we should just navigate life instead of trying to change it
@@nickgotsis4146 I think it can mean
many things and work in several ways. Key ones are as a metaphor and as a means to mindfulness/escape. Music is just a series of waves, albeit in a particular order. this is just in a natural radnom order of moevement, but that can be bewitching.
Every day I get myself getting to remember how beautiful life is. I can’t forget it.
I see the beauty in this scene.I lost something on the way to age 44,but it’s never too late to get it back.
Hey Stevie, I hope you’ve gotten it back. Or, at least, you are on your way :)
Ridicule or hate this scene all you want..
- Call it overly pretentious, artistically overrated, nauseatingly sentimental or just plain cringeworthy.. which couldn't be further from the truth.
Honestly to me this scene is a masterpiece. Plain and simple - It emphasizes the beauty in even the most mundane or otherwise most insignificant of things. Great script, solid acting and a legendary soundtrack to boot.
I always get goosebumps and very emotional watching this scene..
This scene (and movie for that matter) have become a part of popular culture for a reason..
- We often take the small, everyday things for granted, the hidden beauty that surrounds us in an otherwise unforgiving and cynical world.
As cheesy as it may sound we should way more often pause and reflect on the beauty of the world that we live in.
God said its just a plastic bag in the wind
Ive never seen anybody call that scene any of that
@@EfftingES Well lucky you then, I've been ridiculed every time I've mentioned this scene in conversation with my fellow film buffs. I guess you have better friends than me then.
@@ElectroIsMyReligion this scene is utterrly beautiful, to such an extent that I literally can't picture in my mind someone calling it anything other than that. The dialogue, the music, the acting, everything. It's trully beautiful, there's no other word to better descibe it.
I always cry when I see this. I don't understand why, but is beautiful
I guess the message with Ricky's character is that just because you're weird doesn't mean that you're a dangerous person, it just means that you're different
I bet you it is more than that
These are the types of experiences that sound like bs to people who never had such experiences. Hard to verbalize and in most cases meaningless as people will not understand. But so meaningfull, the basis of my life.
I don't know why but i can heavily relate to what he says. Even in things that are purely practicall, i struggle to not see something beautiful that seems intentional. I feel like there is art everywhere. In every little thing on earth and sometimes i feel like everyone else is blind for not seeing it. Of course i have problems and dark thoughts sometimes, but even in the most ugly i mange to find so much beauty that justifies its existence. I don't think that everyone sees the world like i do, but i like the idea. I love to imagine that everyone sees the beauty but just doesn't talk about it, because he's afraid of sharing his secret. I love to see strangers on the street and wish they'd think I'm blind for not seeing the beauty.
I understand
God wrote eternity on the hearts of men. We have a bigger existence than just this life. In this scene, he is trying to find somewhere to direct his worship, but he can find nowhere to direct it towards. God doesn't just care about those who believes in him but about everyone. He loves everyone
The role of a lifetime, perfectly played by Wes. -Congratulations to all the artists whose work created this film.
You are of the lucky few if you can empathize with Ricky
@@TheNormanmurk Im not entirely sure what you mean with "feel outside" of yourself. Im also not entirely sure if there is any outside at all now that i think of it. When my mind is at ease, there is just this unexplainable happening, i know nothing about.
This world for me is a phenomenan that i cannot explain myself. It just exists for some reason.
@@TheNormanmurk very few value life like that. Artist... saints... bout it.
@@TheNormanmurk It is called experience, you just exist, nothing else matters, you exist and experience
I want friends that get this scene..
Aisatsana Moss me too
Explain it?
EEXXPPPLLLAAIIINNN its just a bag
this is a bad scene it's fake deep and you don't resonate with it you just like the idea of resonating with it because you think it makes you smart/sensitive/deep and also puts you above your friends who are not like that.
i know what you mean :(
This scene and this music changed my life so much. I am very thankful for it.
This movie, and in particular this scene, actually changed my life. I was living a normal life with a girlfriend back then in 1999, when we saw the movie on VHS (he he). Being rather inmature at that moment I didn´t understand scene, but the music of Thomas Newman was incredible, and appealed to me immediatly. A few years later I saw the movie again, and fell totally in love with it, again particularly this scene. I have felt an internal emptiness my whole life, whether or not I was in a relationship, but the scene reminded me - and still does today - that maybe we need to remember "the divine"... whether it´s in a plastic bag or in something else... Maybe then the emptiness will be appeased.
+Jakob Larsen This is almost similar to my experience. At that time I didn't have a boyfriend though (as I'm a woman).
It sounds like Transcendentalism
Jakob Larsen I'm the same. Smart said.
wow your life fucking sucks lmao
Often this scene is interpreted as 'there's beauty in small things / anti materialism', but i feel like this scene is actually specifically about Ricky's mental health issues. I wouldn't be surprised if Ricky was a suicidal teenager at one point (or at least he had a mental breakdown as mentioned in the film) and he has morbid curiosity (filming the bird, staring at dead person's eyes). It's like he's explaining that the meaning behind this video is an anchor and lifeline for him. There's desperation and urgency almost when he says "i have to remember [beauty]". It's like he used to want to die, and reminders of beauty where ever in the world, make him want to live and that desire can be almost be so conflicting and very intense to process. I think the whole film is about 'beauty' but not just in the context of materialism but multiple contexts, one being beauty and the very confusing and often intense experience of 'beauty' for those who have complex mental health care issues.
makes a lot of sense, when i was suicidal i watched this movie over and over to drill this speech into my brain for the reason you said. it’s silly but it worked
Very logical, as Ricky is living a horrible life with his hypocrite father, which let him not only have mental issues, but become drug addict and encourage Lester with drug addiction.
For me it's an antithetical response to Kit Carruthers' numbness in response to violence in the build up to the 'red balloon' scene in Badlands. The score, the imagery, even the intonation of the young actor's monologue are all akin to Badlands (1973) to the extent the film seems like a love letter to Malick's America: but instead of the protagonist of this scene being a young war vet desensitised by its horrors it's a kid haunted by his parent's numbness in the face of violence and hatred searching for tenderness and meaning.
I love this. Thanks for the interpretation
@@alihijazi8583 yes the drug dealing part is interesting. When I was younger watching the film I thought it was romantic that the daughter and ricky went off to new york but now i'm older and I would question the safety of such a scenario for the couple
I love this scene.
Ricky has found the one person in the world who accepts him and loves him as he is.
Lucky INFJ
Yes rare for an INFJ