American Psycho: The Corpse Of Masculinity

This video is mainly about  the movie and not the book.

Read the book, watch the movie they're both great.

We open with these blood-looking  droplets that turn out to be the  

preparation of food in this  pristine white environment.

If we were in a kitchen we would be  thinking about the people who prepare  

and serve our food, but this is not a  film about people who work for money.

They present food preparation in a way that  reminds me of the intro to the show Dexter,  

with its uncomfortable close-up shots and  visual comparison between cooking and murder.

Did you know, viewer

that the main theme of American Psycho

titled simply American Psycho

is so effective because it presents  the themes of American Psycho

in sound format.

It begins with atmospheric tones  that invoke feelings of emptiness -

The implication that something should be  there, but in its place a void - nothing.

Then the pizzicato strings wiggle their way in,  

playing a fairly standard minor melody  that I really like, but we get these  

open stringed violin runs that seem like  they're doing this kind of creepy dance.

The dissonance in the high and low  notes on the piano is fantastic

they seem to cut through the  strings in the mix like a knife.

We transition into these open violins  that sound almost like wedding music.

It seems thematically appropriate  for the fancy restaurant scene

but there's something aggressive, almost  off-putting about the composition and performance.

It feels claustrophobic, like you're listening  to this piece whether you like it or not.

The music is suggesting class,  high society, but it's just that.

A suggestion, a mirage.

This is also reflected in how the film  presents the culinary trends of the 80s.

The food is overly decorated, dainty and fussy.

Check out that horrible handwritten menu.

We're introduced to Bateman and his friends along  with their crassness, entitlement and enviousness.

The film is presenting the idea of  how grotesque it is that the people  

meant to be the crème de la crème  of society are just such wankers.

Immediately we kick off with misogynistic and  anti-semitic dialogue from Bryce and McDermott,

the latter Bateman heroically puts a cork in  

because he's a friend and  ally of the Jewish people.

"Hate this place. It's a chick's restaurant.

Why aren't we at Dorsia?"

"He's handling the Fisher account."

"Lucky bastard."

"Lucky Jew bastard."

"Jesus McDermott, what does  that have to do with anything?"

"I've seen that bastard sitting in his office  

talking on the phone to the CEO  spinning a fuckin' menorah."

"It's not a menorah. You spin a dreidel."

"Oh my god Bateman, you want me to fry  you up some fuckin' potato pancakes?

some Latkes?"

"No, just...

cool it with the anti-semitic remarks."

No service worker in this movie  is given a second of thanks,  

the characters typically opt for  threats, insults, and demands -

or just ignoring them completely  like they're not even there.

Assuming this movie takes place in the mid-80s

"Speaking of reasonable -

only $570."

"that's not bad."

the $570 they spend at the  restaurant is closer to $1600 today.

The Stolis at the club are a  much more reasonable $35 a piece

"little something for the purse"

"give her the 50!" "oh, you're cheap."

The way he says give her the 50  with such indignance is very funny,  

it shows how stingy the rich can be with money.

Welcome to Bateman's personality-filled apartment.

Some of the wall art is literally  just framed black squares.

The set designers do an excellent  job of communicating Bateman's  

void of personhood through his living situation.

Mearly everything is pristine white and even  though nothing speaks for itself you still have  

no doubt that Bateman could identify the price  tag, features and branding of every single item.

Something I love about the song in  the morning routine scene is that  

it's in constant motion without really  going anywhere, like an exercise bike.

It resembles the first movement of  Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata but  

with all of the mystique and intrigue sucked  out of it - an icy shell of what once was.

Aptly named, the repetitive arpeggios  has put you in the routine headspace.

It's an excellent representation of what's  happening in Patrick Bateman's mind -

the tone is very serious, in  keeping with Bateman's feeling  

of urgency for performing outward self-care.

It's also clear through Bale's  performance that Bateman believes  

he is describing something of  utmost significance and value.

The way he delivers the word  protective just oozes self-importance.

"then moisturizer, then an  anti-aging eye balm followed  

by a final moisturizing protective lotion."

Think about the order in which  Bateman tells you his personal info.

"I live in the American Gardens  building on West 81st Street

on the 11th floor.

My name is Patrick Bateman. I'm 27 years old."

He explains where he lives before telling you  his name, implying his expensive apartment  

is of greater relevance to his personhood  than his actual primary identifying trait.

It's a subtle detail but one that tells you  everything you need to know about the character.

His description of exercises, ice  packs, lotions, gels, moisturizers -

runs smack bang into one of the most important  moments of the film, the removal of the mask.

"There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman.

Some kind of abstraction.

But there is no real me, only an entity.

Something illusory.

And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can  shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours,

and maybe you can can even sense our  lifestyles are probably comparable -

I simply am not there."

It's nothing particularly  subtle but it communicates  

the main idea of Bateman's character perfectly.

There is nothing behind the mask.

He's constantly mistaken for other people,  

does nothing but exercise and watch gory movies or  porn and doesn't care about anything whatsoever.

He is the suggestion of a  human being, nothing more.

"Okay Jean, I need reservations for three  

at Camols at 12:30 and if not  there try Crayons, alright?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh wait, and I need reservations for  two at Arcadia at 8:00 on Thursday."

"Something romantic?"

"No. Silly.

forget it, I'll make them."

"No I'll do it."

"No no, be a doll and just  get me a mineral water, okay?"

"You look nice today."