Live like an American Psycho
American Psycho is 23 years old and is becoming more and more relevant these days, not only because of Tik Tok and meme trends but because of society’s growing individualism and metrosexual self-view. Director Mary Harron adapted Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel about Patrick Bateman – A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, who hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
The film’s main character, Patrick Bateman, was perfectly played by Christian Bale, who got the role that Leonardo DiCaprio turned down. And it was a good call, as Christian Bale delivered an iconic brutal, and sharply elegant performance. The film also features high-caliber actors: Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, and Justin Theroux.
But it must be admitted that American Psycho is distinguished by its visual aesthetic, which seduces from the first frame. The apartment of the main character’s home has the air of 80s chic, where the person is an accessory. The design of the apartments went to set designer Jeanne Develle and production designer Gideon Ponte, who created a very sterile setting for the main protagonist’s vivid crimes.
The carefully selected furniture is mid-century and Bauhaus modernism pieces, which have great aesthetic and artistic value. In the living room, you will see the sexy Barcelona chairs designed by the godfather of modernism, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. A throne-like Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s HILL HOUSE 1 chair echoes among the white objects. Also, the Alanda coffee table, designed by Paolo Piva for B&B Italia, is a complete hit of 80s modernism. The white elegant Improviste Sofa By Roche Bobois melts into the white background, symbolizing impracticality and enhancing attention to detail. The rooms are dominated by black and white colors, and in the kitchen area, the surfaces of the furniture are covered with a stainless steel texture, which acts as an allegory to the slaughterhouse rather than the cooking space. In this house, the person serves the house and not the house for the person, and this perfectly reflects the life of the victims of materialism.
It’s important to emphasize the artwork when it comes to film production design. In the film, you will notice in Patrick Bateman’s apartment that the impressive paintings of the artist Robert Lang from the series “Men in the Cities” hang on the walls. These paintings were the idea of the film’s production designer because during the filming he also worked in New York art galleries and this gave a particularly good spice to the development of the character. These paintings are now valued at over $100,000, which could decorate the most luxurious penthouses.
American Psycho’s visual aesthetic sends a satirical message about vanity and superficiality. We enter a void where the characters try to fill their emptiness with expensive things, reservations at prestigious restaurants, drugs, and sex. The creator specifically tries to make us pay attention not to the flawless faces and perfect bodies but makes us feel the inner emptiness of the characters and the suffering they go through in pursuit of perfection. To quote the character Patrick Bateman: „Well, you can always be thinner… look better.“, These words sound like a trap we fall into ourselves. Isn’t it?
Text author: Linas Jurevičius
