When American Beauty first came out, my English wasn't good enough to understand any of the dialogue, only the image stuck with me for years and years.  Recently I saw it again after haven't seen it for more than a dozen years, and now the story finally made sense to me.

There they are, two different post-card American families, yet upon closer look, each one of them is utterly disconnected to one another, under the facade of a normal family.  I remember seeing the scene of the family sitting together on the same couch watching tv at night, sharing their lives yet unable to get pass that invisible wall between them. 

Unlike the parents, who are not willing to admit they are who they are, the children are a rather stark contrast, they are still capable of connecting with themselves and others. 

This tree lined street was the most memorable image that I remembered, in fact in my memory this tree lined street was even more glamorous than it was while I revisited the film.  Back then it seems like the street was leading to a better place, a destination I myself would like to be in somewhere in the future. Now that the future is just here, I am still wondering where that place is.