American Psycho

American Psycho is an expressive masterpiece, an often very humorous and exaggerated, but at the same time also profound satire. This film is more than a slaughterhouse combined with black humor, it is actually a deep analysis of the male mind. Unfortunately, it is not taken as seriously as it definitely deserves, because in addition it offers an astonishing insight into the Yuppie-culture of the 80’s with all its facets. In 100 minutes, the film can characterize an entire period of American history. It shows the exalted climax, but also the ruthless niches of capitalism, a society consumed by narcissism and materialism, and a world that is increasingly falling away from traditional moral values and making the individual of man more and more insignificant. Bret Easton Ellis and Mary Harron both tell the story of a man who is in a way representative for this time. Because humanity is no longer what it once was. Through the indifference to the individual, people become jaded, they live in a society that considers everyone replaceable, which is why man cannot develop positively, but rather transform into a cold and empty shell to adapt to their environment. This is told here to an exaggerated and extremely sardonic extent, whereby, due to this, the message that the film wants to tell us, is in no way badly affected. In the end, American Psycho is more than just a brutal psychological thriller, because in its depth it deals with the superficial and materialistic society of the 80’s, with Patrick Bateman embodying the alienation and moral emptiness of the Wall Street elite. The film questions the identity and authenticity in a world where appearances and status count more than humanity. The violence that Bateman exerts reflects the inner tornness and the psychopathic tendencies that are reinforced by the social constraints and the pressure to appear successful. Ultimately, it remains unclear whether the atrocities are real or exist only in Bateman's imagination, which in turn raises the question of whether the boundaries between reality and madness are still recognizable in such an alienated society. Ultimately, however, it is still exactly as Bateman said in our society today: "Inside doesn't matter". I learned to love this film in a really strange phase of my life.