10 Confusing Movie Questions We Still Don't Understand

American Psycho follows a serial killing stockbroker called Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) who's only content while mutilating and dismembering his victims. After watching Patrick split a banker's head in half or stabbing a homeless man to death, there's no doubt he's certifiably insane. 

However, it becomes difficult to gauge the level of Patrick's instability while watching the closing scene. After speaking to his lawyer, the titular psychopath learns a man he supposedly killed is alive and well. At that moment, Patrick questions whether he acted out any of his sick fantasies or if it was all in his head.

On an initial viewing, the climax suggests all of Patrick's crimes were imaginary. But as director, Mary Harron, and co-writer, Guinevere Turner, explained in an interview with Moviemaker, it's not that black-and-white. Though the story starts off grounded in reality, the second half becomes more sensational, depicting Patrick talking to ATM machines and blowing up police cars. Although Patrick is insane, later scenes like this indicate he's imagining things or acting out a fantasy.

As a result, the parameters separating Patrick Bateman's mind and reality are highly questionable.