By: Abreham Debele

‘American Psycho’ is a psychological thriller movie directed by Mary Hardin and released in 2000. This movie is based on a novel written by Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. The film revolves around a wealthy man living in New York City who secretly lives a double life. Throughout the movie we see the main character struggle with his identity, obsession with status, and inability to form genuine emotional connections.

Patrick Bateman is a successful investment banker working on Wall Street in New York City. On the outside he seems to live a perfect life filled with wealth, expensive restaurants, and high social status. However, behind his polished image he hides his psychopathic and violent urges.

He becomes obsessed with superficial things such as business cards, physical appearance, and designer brands. As the movie progresses, we see him commit brutal acts of violence while trying to maintain a normal public image. His violent actions show his deep emptiness and detachment from reality.

Throughout the film Bateman carefully maintains his professional life while hiding his disturbing behavior. He spends his time with wealthy coworkers discussing status symbols and material possessions. While at the same time, he secretly stalks and murders victims whom he believes deserves punishment. As his violence impulsively grows stronger, it becomes more difficult for him to maintain control. The movie often blurs the line between reality and imagination, leaving the viewers questioning whether all the events happened or it was all in Bateman’s head.

In my opinion, ‘American Psycho’ is a show that illustrates that someone can appear completely normal on the outside while hiding serious psychological problems. I believe the movie does a great job showing us why an obsession with wealth, status, and appearance is unhealthy. What really interests me is how the film shows us Patrick’s emptiness and shallowness while also showing his coping mechanisms such as surrounding himself with coworkers, being obsessed with status, and his violent fantasies. My favorite part of the film is that it leaves it to the viewer’s interpretation whether the events are real or that it’s all in Bateman’s head.

You can watch ‘American Psycho’ on Netflix.