Daily Dialogue — July 8, 2019

“…and then I remember to relax, and stop holding on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry. You will… someday.”

— American Beauty (1999), written by Alan Ball

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Last Lines. Today’s suggestion by @Screenwriter911.

Trivia: According to his Oscar speech, screenwriter Alan Ball was sitting at the World Trade Center plaza when he saw a paper bag floating in the wind and was inspired by it to write the film, which was originally conceived as a stage play.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The use of voice-over narration here is a bookend to the introduction of the movie. Here is the opening scene:

And here is the ending scene with the last lines of dialogue:

The opening sets up the fact that in “less than a year, I’ll be dead.” That plays under the entire movie. The ending is the payoff to that setup.