Page "American Beauty (film)" Paragraph 22
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According to Drew Miller of Stylus, the soundtrack " unconscious voice " to the characters ' psyches and complements the subtext.
The most obvious use of pop music " accompanies and gives context to " Lester's attempts to recapture his youth ; reminiscent of how the counterculture of the 1960s combated American repression through music and drugs, Lester begins to smoke cannabis and listen to rock music.
Miller argues that although some may be over familiar, there is a parodic element at work, " making good on film's encouragement that viewers look closer ".
Toward the end of the film, Thomas Newman's score features more prominently, creating " a disturbing tempo " that matches the tension of the visuals.
The lyrics, which speak of " castles burning ", can be seen as a metaphor for Lester's view of Angela —" the rosy, fantasy-driven exterior of the ' American Beauty — as it burns away to reveal " the timid, small-breasted girl who, like his wife, has willfully developed a false public self ".
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