Virgin suicides, The
Sofia Coppola / US, 1999 / 97 min.
Sofia Coppola’s dreamy and slightly melancholic debut about five beautiful sisters whose collective suicide is largely left unexplained. With a superb role for Kirsten Dunst. Part of Looking for America: Kids.
Sofia Coppola”s film adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenide”s eponymous novel is set in the suburbs of Michigan in 1974. The five mysterious Lisbon sisters are adored by the teenage boys in their neighbourhood. It seems to be the place where the American Dream has become true, but it is in the girls” family that the dream becomes unhinged. The sisters receive a strict Christian education from their parents (Kathleen Turner and James Woods). Their longing for freedom ends in an act of desperation.
The Virgin Suicides is filmed from the adoring perspective of the girls” teenage admirers, who cannot begin to understand what led such divine creatures to end their lives. There are no conclusive answers on offer. The airy and intangible style of filming is supported by a fine score by Air, supplied with seventies hits.
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Details
Director
Sofia Coppola
Production year
1999
Country
US
Original title
Virgin suicides, The
Length
97 min.
Subtitles
FRA or NLD
Format
35mm
Part of
Looking for America
This autumn Eye is taking an inquisitive look at the United States. How does the age-old ideal of a ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ relate to the difficult reality of today?
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