The Virgin
Suicides
Released April 21, 2000
*** ½ (out of ****)
Rated R for strong thematic elements involving teens.
Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers Ó 2001.
Sofia Coppola’s debut feature, The
Virgin Suicides, based on Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel, is an authentic
telling of teenage angst and tragedy, with an uncanny realism about life as an
adolescent. The kind of teenage life portrayed in Suicides is so unlike
that of the slapstick theatrics of Porkys, Road Trip or American
Pie. The gritty truth comes across extremely effectively here.
Sofia, Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter, weaves her story of
five daughters from a strict American Catholic family during the mid 1970’s in
experimental fashion, but communicates her ideas clearly with a despairing and
traumatic sense of young and middle adolescent "development".
The scenario would be extremely over the top if it weren’t
for the fact that the location is America, where anything and everything can
happen. It is in stark contrast to the era’s fascination with happy and
energetic television series like Happy Days, The Waltons and The
Brady Bunch. The Lisbon family in The Virgin Suicides is depressed
and downtrodden, with an aura of togetherness that hides the excessive and
suffocating domestic milieu.
The story is told twenty-five years later through the eyes of
one of the then neighborhood boys. He recalls the day-by-day events that lead to
the five daughters killing themselves, while under the surveillance of the over
bearing, protective and controlling Mr and Mrs Lisbon, played convincingly by
veterans Kathleen Turner and James Woods. Among these eminent professionals is a
younger and superb supporting cast. Josh Hartnett, from Pearl Harbor
fame, as the womanizer Tripp, is outstanding.
This film is not perfect, however. Apart from Lux Lisbon (A
credible and subtle Kirsten Dunst) the other daughters and neighborhood boys
form a backdrop and prop to the main action, rather than becoming involved and
tangible. They are pawns in moving the story and thematic matter along. Such is
the pitfalls of a small drama with more characters than enough to develop
effectively in only limited screen time.
The Virgin Suicides is pertinent and poignant and deals with important
issues. It seriously serves well the societal ignorance of a budding suicide
problem during the 1970’s and the surrounding media hype culminating in a
first rate debut for Sofia Coppola. A challenging film for adults and teenagers.
