American Beauty · written by Alan Ball · 1999

Lester notices the old amusement-park photo of his once-happy family.

Scene 17 of 163 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 10 min into a 1:37 film

The story so farBefore scene 17

After becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter’s friend, a dissatisfied suburban father quits his job and pursues a more vivid life, unsettling his family and drawing him into the orbit of a troubled teenage neighbor.

Scenes 1–13
Lester is trapped in a suburban routine of corporate work and a marriage performed for appearances.
Just before
Scene 14
The family eats in silence until Lester asks about Jane's cheer squad.
Scene 15
Lester apologizes to Jane for being unavailable and asks what has happened between them; she resists his attempt to reconnect.
Scene 16
Ricky films Lester's failed attempt to talk with Jane through the greenhouse window.
Scene 17
This scene

17INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Lester's POV: We're looking out through the kitchen window at the point where Ricky was just standing, but he's no longer there.

Lester turns off the faucet, dries his hands, then tosses the towel on the counter on his way out, where it lands next to a framed PHOTOGRAPH of Lester, Carolyn, and a much-younger Jane, taken several years earlier at an amusement park. It's startling how happy they look.