I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first episode of "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" and feel that the tone was set from the beginning of the series. The director laid out identity as the theme of the entire series when revealing many details of each main character in the first episode.
Gianni Versace was a prominent public figure, and his sexual identity was unable to be protected due to the hyper-presence of the media and paparazzi in his life. Versace's passion for fashion is evident when he references designing his sister's clothing in his youth, and his Italian background is noticeable in his voice, speech pattern, and presentation. Versace is a seemingly wealthy individual, which is visible when he overlooks the beach from his mansion. A phallic symbol is included in this section to show male dominance.
However, his murderer, Andrew Cunanan is portrayed as impecunious when he is sitting on the beach. The two men are close together in geographical proximity; thus, this paradox creates juxtapose. The duo are placed close together to demonstrate the contrasts between their statuses in terms of their identities. Clearly, Cunanan despises Versace's male superiority and influence in the limelight because he envies his fame and seeks to be well-known himself.
More specifically than identity, sexual identity is a societal normative that appears thematically throughout the first episode. Cunanan is uncomfortable with being gay, and he attempts to mask his identity in front of heterosexual individuals. However, he is more open in front of people of the same sexual orientation as him. He fears that society and those in his life will not be empathetic toward his lifestyle.
His insecurities with his identity potentially produce jealousy and viciousness that are factors leading to his numerous murder accounts. In opposition, Versace is more prideful in his sexuality than Cunanan. The miniseries is intense and powerful but the accuracy of the figures is questionable due to the show being merely an adaptation of real-life events.
