Architecture in Film: Analysis of American Psycho

Architecture in Film: The Development of a Psychopath

The environment in which a person surrounds himself defines and shapes who that person is. His chosen environment is a reflection of his morals, standards and values. In the film American Psycho, Patrick Bateman’s three main environments consisting of his pure and modern apartment, grimy clubs, and bustling Wall Street life define and mold him as a superficial and materialistic elitist while enhancing his character as serial killer. In this essay, I will explain how the architectural styles and architecture in each of Patrick Bateman’s environments allude to his underlying evil while simultaneously enhancing his psychopathic tendencies.

First, the architectural styles of Patrick Bateman’s and Paul Allen’s apartments build the foundation of the film and Bateman’s character as a psychopath by transitioning him from two very distinct habitats - the first being very taunt and pure and the next, more fluid and free. Patrick Bateman’s modernist and sleek apartment represents his character’s elitist values as a man trying to fit into Wall Street as well as enhances the first murder that he commits in his home. In comparison, Paul Allen’s extravagant and eclectic apartment, where Bateman commits most of his murders, depicts Bateman’s true grueling desires and ambitions as a serial killer and businessman. As the film begins, the camera takes viewers on a tour of Bateman’s apartment. The scene shows a space that embodies Le Corbusier’s and Mies Van der Rohe’s modernist techniques of minimalism and purity. All of the walls are white and accentuated with minimal decoration like the Hill House chair; The kitchen is stainless steel and hides everything from the tools he uses to kill his victims to their body parts that lie in the fridge; The art on the wall is abstract, black, and encased by thin frames; The furniture consists of only one white sofa and two Barcelona Pavilion chairs and stools. All of these aspects of Bateman’s apartment exemplify a modernist style of architecture and alludes to its characteristics of simplicity, cleanliness, and prestige, the last being a goal Bateman continuously strives for. Concurrently, the pristine state of the apartment also creates a highly superficial and eerie atmosphere that make viewers doubt its perfection and consequently, Bateman’s mental stability. In addition, Bateman’s apartment also enhances the murder of Paul Allen. The white walls and pale floors as well as furnishings that have been covered in linen are stark against the blood that splatters on Bateman. The monotone surroundings allow viewers to really focus on Allen’s death and more importantly, Bateman’s spiral into psychosis as he sits nonchalantly by a dead man's body.

Paul Allen’s apartment expresses and fulfills Bateman’s true desires as both an affluent businessman and psychopath through its design and construction. The protagonist attains his ambition of being as esteemed as Paul Allen by not only pretending to be Allen but also inhabiting his nemesis’s apartment to commit the majority of the murders shown at the end of the film. Contrary to Bateman’s sterile apartment, Paul Allen’s apartment is decorated, colorful, and eclectic. It has a variety of furniture, appliances, and mundane items like alcohol laying about. Allen’s apartment has a view of Central Park, unlike Bateman’s place which is located on West 81st Street and is further from the park. In scenes that show Allen’s apartment, viewers see that it is a corner apartment located on the top floor of the building, unlike Bateman’s who is only on the 11th floor. The characters, namely the prostitute, even point out that Allen’s place is much nicer than Bateman’s place. These characteristics for an apartment, especially in skyscraper New York, undoubtedly symbolize Allen’s wealth and eliteness. Bateman himself tries to achieve this status throughout the film by showing off his card and restaurant reservations but is never quite as successful as Allen. By killing Allen in Bateman’s rigid home then moving the protagonist into Allen’s own earthier home, the film presents viewers with distinct mental and physical changes in Patrick Bateman. Allen’s apartment also creates suspense in the film by forcing the prostitute, Christie, to go through a sort of architectural promenade that reveals Bateman’s murders. The first set of hallways that the prostitute runs into during her escape from Bateman leads her into a closet and more importantly, the truth about Patrick Bateman: he is a serial killer that hides his bodies like suits on a coat rack. This discovery leads her to run to another room filled with cryptic spray painted letters and finally, into the last set of hallways force her to go into a bathroom filled with even more corpses. This space in Allen’s apartment created the prostitute's movements throughout the scene and showcased Bateman’s psychoticness.

Second, the hidden and broken-down facades of the clubs that Bateman attends emphasizes the double and secret life that many people, especially those in the film on Wall Street, live. There are many clubs that Bateman and his colleagues attend throughout the film that vary in exclusivity and class but all have the same motif. Outside, the clubs are seemingly run down and dirty but inside, anything can happen. This rough and unclean exterior give these posh characters a reason to be erratic because they do not have to put up a facade for something so dirty. One of the nightclubs that Bateman uses to pick up a model that he later kills is even underground. Inside, the atmosphere is hazy and dark. The shady ambience gives the characters on Wall Street have the freedom to do whatever they please without being seen like snort cocaine, cheat on their significant other, and dance outrageously.

The bathrooms, ranging from those in the nightclubs to those in the high end restaurants, also illustrate the duality of the characters. The film lists three scenes: the first bathroom scene is in a stall in the underground club is where Bateman and his friend snort cocaine. The second scene was a reference from Bateman’s acquaintance where he points out that the bathroom in their high end restaurant was not good for snorting cocaine. The third scene and most iconic bathroom scene is when Bateman tries to strangle his coworker, Luis Carruthers, in the restroom of an expensive restaurant out of jealousy after Carruthers reveals his new business card. Viewers later learn that Carruthers is gay when he mistakes Bateman’s murderous strangle for a sexual advancement. The film foreshadows this moment by decorating the bathroom with pink striped wallpaper, an ornamentation that is highly unusual for many men’s restroom, and gives the viewers a moment to guess the outcome of the scene. Since all of these enclosed spaces were hidden and exclusive environments, it supports the division between public and private acts that men on Wall Street perform. This dichotomy is also a representation of Bateman’s schizophrenia. Bateman not only has to live a double life as a businessman and nightclub enthusiast but also has to control whether he is a sane human versus serial killer.

Third, the skyscrapers of Wall Street serve as a force behind Bateman’s actions by continuously alluding to the prestige and importance of Bateman’s status in Pierce and Pierce as well as his coworkers. The skyline that signifies the financial district can always be viewed from Bateman’s office window and is a constant reminder of his lower ranking as a socialite and banker. This reminder, along with the perpetual competition that occurs between all the bankers in Pierce and Pierce, is the reason behind Bateman’s psychosis as he tries to fit in and one up his fellow coworkers. In one of the last scenes, the film presents viewers with a glimmering image of Wall Street behind Bateman’s window with the spotlight finally on Bateman as he confesses his murders. Although this spotlight is merely helicopters trying to find a murderer, Bateman is finally the center of attention on Wall Street.

In conclusion, the film emphasizes Patrick Bateman’s duality as a banker and serial killer by creating distinct environments that encourage Bateman to unleash his underlying evil. The film also develops the protagonist into a serial killer by placing him into various surroundings, varying from fancy French restaurants to dark alleyways, that tests his sanity. The architecture and domains like his apartment to the nightclubs Bateman surrounds himself with lead him into psychosis and shape the plot of the film.

Citation:

1. “American Psycho | Shop the Furniture and Decor.” Seen On Set, www.seenonset.com/movies/8/american-psycho.