As a stereotypical human being during Halloween, I decided to watch a good old horror story which turned out to be (surprise surprise!) American Psycho. Halfway through the movie, I came to some mind-striking conclusions and realized that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Each one of us is in a way Patrick Bateman – putting on a mask and simply, trying to fit in.
The main character Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, is a wealthy investment banking executive who hides his diabolical nature under a thick layer of narcissism and obsession to become one’s perfect self. Batman goes through a series of rigorous routines to attain his appearance and physique. The iconic scene with the face mask is when Patrick himself realizes that what he’s doing is not maintaining his attractiveness but shielding his innate monstrosity.
Killing is for him the only way to let go of this false image and express disgust toward those who don’t reach his expectations. As the plot unfolds Bateman becomes more and more impulsive and driven solely by his instinct to kill. Finally, the story reaches its peak when Patrick confronts his lawyer after confessing to multiple murderers. He desperately needs someone to stop him. Bateman’s lawyer, however, completely ignores the madness deriving from his confession and lets him go. It then becomes clear to him that escaping consequences is so easy because of the society he’s surrounded with. A society that’s so wrapped up in its own falsehood, in the desire to “fit in”, that it becomes immune to any signals and callings for help.
Now, we live in a world where it’s so easy to create a fake persona. With social media on the board, it’s becoming extremely difficult to stay truthful to oneself. Rushing to meet our often unreachable expectations we start slowly descending into madness, trying to become someone we‘re not but crave to be.
That’s when the movie becomes a lot scarier. 22 years later, American Psycho is still adequate to how our society is shaped, warning us how deceitful our human instincts and desires can be. The culture of influencers and celebrities that has evolved over the years strongly reflects the issue portrayed by Bateman’s character. American Psycho doesn’t seem so far-fetched after all.
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