“American Psycho” — How superficiality and performative politics define us

One of the icons of the current memetic generation, “American Psycho” is a film that I never paid attention to when it came out. Maybe because, in the 2000s, I was much more interested in “The Matrix” and “Lord of the Rings”, thrillers were not something that my young mind wanted to consume. When I finally went to watch this film, it was much more out of interest in knowing what was behind the memes than actually being a word-of-mouth recommendation.

Worse! I didn’t know that it was an adaptation of the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. Still, after watching it, I could understand why it became so popular, as it is one of the most scathing and provocative satires of the 2000s.

In short, the film tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street broker who displays psychopathic traits as he sinks into the excesses of 1980s high society. The film portrays a universe where morality, empathy and identity are superficialities ready to be shaped or destroyed according to the individual’s needs.

The visual construct of a empty society

Right at the beginning, we are greeted with red drops that, at first glance, look like blood, but soon reveal themselves to be something more subtle — the first part of the preparation of a dish in a white and sterile environment. This introduction reflects the futility and excess that dominate the characters’ lives, which we can draw a parallel to where, today, mass content on social media lacks depth, and there is an excess of repetition that transforms digital media into something futile, something to consume to enrich our bias, desires and needs.

Added to this, John Cale’s soundtrack is designed to amplify the tension and emptiness; its composition conveys a sense of absence, where something essential is missing, creating a claustrophobic environment that suggests basic but without substance — like Bateman’s own life. And we can feel the great irony of the choice of iconic songs from the 80s such as “Simply Irresistible” and “Hip To Be Square”, which is exaggerated by the contrast between the cheerful superficiality of the songs and the internal emptiness of the characters, we can say that the songs do not echo the behaviours, ideas and expressions of an elite that has nothing to offer society, they exist, they are there as if they were parasites in the hope of an opportunity to prey.

And so, we see how Bateman is the portrait of the New York elite of the time: he lives in an impeccable apartment, surrounded by luxury items that he knows meticulously, but that say nothing about who he really is. For me , this is what modern art has become — where abstract paintings, which say nothing, express nothing, and take the place of classical art. Because if they are nothing, and are free from interpretation, they may very well serve only as a possession, something whose value is the amount paid for it, which removes the artist’s personal character, and creates only a monetary value for those who bought it.

Even Patrick’s interactions with friends and colleagues reflect an obsession with status and possession. One of the most memorable moments, the “business card scene”, shows Bateman in an existential crisis, suffering to not having a seizure or to explode, caused by envy of Paul Allen’s superior improved business card — showing how insignificant the criteria that govern social value are in this universe.

This is a perfect storm that reflects the flip side of values, we can see another significant emptiness in the way Bateman introduces himself: before giving his name, he gives his address in one of the most expensive buildings in Manhattan, as if his social position were more important than his personal identity. This small detail perfectly illustrates the distorted logic of the characters, for whom status and economic value trump all human characteristics.

The Superficiality of Causes and Political Discussions

And so … the superficiality reaches it’s peak, when we see the concern of causes and political discussions during a dinner — Patrick Bateman gives a seemingly “conscious” speech on social and political issues, in which he lists a list of concerns that kinda speaks with a lot of people , but at the same time does not represent or mean nothing. He says,

“But we can’t ignore our own needs as well. We have to stop people from abusing the welfare system. We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, oppose racial discrimination, and promote civil rights, while promoting equal rights to protect the right to life, but still somehow maintain women’s freedom of choice. We also have to control the influx of illegal immigrants. We have to stop the influx of graphic violence on TV, in movies, in popular music, everywhere. And most importantly, we have to promote a general social concern and less materialism in young people.”

This speech, both in the book and in the film, is delivered out of context and in a luxurious environment that makes no sense with the speech itself! Showing that Bateman recites these ideas only to impress and demonstrate moral superiority, without knowing and or understand what he’s talking about.

It symbolises how superficiality can permeate political discussions: “politically correct” or supposedly conscious words are recited only to appear informed and gain status to someones bias, but without any commitment to the issues. In our contemporary life, this superficiality multiplies — today, many, if all, public figures and politicians live only by statements and online posts about causes that they consider important, just to accumulate “likes” and engagement. Most of them don’t act like it matters or are willing to live by what they say they believe, because — It doesn’t matter!

Like Bateman, who recites values ​​without understanding or caring about them, many politicians/influencers and leaders adopt empty speeches, with little or no practical commitment. This moment in American Psycho anticipates a current phenomenon, where one “positions” oneself publicly without deepening, as a kind of performance to project an image, and not to discuss and address issues authentically.

This masterpiece suppose to offer a fierce critique of 1980s society, but we see that those critiques remains contemporary, as today we see the fragility and emptiness of a world that values ​​appearances and status above all else. The figure of Patrick Bateman is both a parody of an elitist lifestyle and a mirror of the contradictions of modern society, that reflects to a shallow interaction or representation of needs, mass consumed online to fill in the emptiness our real life is in comparison to the false sense of a rich virtual world. Through their aesthetic and narrative choices, Mary Harron and Bret Easton Ellis create a work that, in addition to provoking, leads the audience to reflect on human nature itself, questioning what it really means to “be someone” in a world of masks and appearances.