American Beauty (1999 film) as Lester and Angela get closer, finally taking the roses—and thus Carolyn—out of the shot. Lester's epiphany at the end of the film is expressed by rain and the use of red, building to a crescendo that is a deliberate contrast to the release Lester feels. The constant use of red "lulls [the audience] subliminally" into becoming used to it; consequently, it leaves the audience unprepared when Lester is shot and his blood spatters on the wall. Pennington argues that "American Beauty" defines its characters through their sexuality. Lester's attempts to relive his youth are a direct result of his
Bo Burnham for "Funny People", in which Burnham stars in a NBC sitcom called "Yo Teach!" In the promo, Burnham stars opposite Jason Schwartzman, as a student in the latter's English class. Burnham wrote and directed his first feature film, "Eighth Grade", which was produced and distributed by A24 and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018. The film has been received well by critics: it garnered a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 220 ratings, and holds an average rating of 90 out of 100 on Metacritic. In 2010, Burnham wrote, executive-produced, and starred in "Zach Stone