The Virgin Suicides

Courtesy of NEF Filmproduktion

Leslie Hayman, Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Chelse Swain, Hanna Hall
The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola
USA 1999, Retrospective
Courtesy of NEF Filmproduktion

A.J. Cook, Leslie Hayman, Chelse Swain, Kathleen Turner, Hanna Hall, James Woods, Kirsten Dunst
The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola
USA 1999, Retrospective
© Courtesy of NEF Filmproduktion

Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Leslie Hayman, Chelse Swain
The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola
USA 1999, Retrospective
© Courtesy of NEF Filmproduktion
In a Detroit suburb in the mid-70s, the Catholic Lisbons are raising five daughters with a strict hand. When the youngest, Cecilia, 13, attempts suicide, her parents engage a psychotherapist. At his suggestion, they invite some of the neighbourhood boys over for a party. During the get-together, Cecilia succeeds in killing herself. The other sisters subsequently slip further from under the parental thumb. After Lux, 14, loses her virginity to a high school crush, the parents forbid the girls any outside contact. But their isolation has dramatic consequences … The film unfolds in flashbacks as the now-grown boys reminisce about the sisters they once loved, lending the tale of a tragic “spring awakening” the air of a melancholy requiem. Following in the steps of a long tradition of youthful tragedies, The Virgin Suicides counters any romanticising of adolescence. Despite its colourful pop culture appeal, the film exudes a sense of dread and looming calamity from the start, leading the audience into a parallel juvenile universe that is as magical as it is mysterious. Sofia Coppola’s stylistically confident direction gives perfect cinematic expression to the 90s zeitgeist of girl-ism.
With
- James Woods
- Kathleen Turner
- Kirsten Dunst
- Josh Hartnett
- Michael Paré
- Scott Glenn
- Danny DeVito
- A. J. Cook
- Hanna Hall
- Leslie Hayman
Crew
Director | Sofia Coppola |
Screenplay | Sofia Coppola based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides |
Cinematography | Edward Lachman |
Editing | James Lyons, Melissa Kent |
Sound | Richard Beggs |
Production Design | Jasna Stefanovic |
Art Director | Jon P. Goulding |
Costumes | Nancy Steiner |
Make-Up | Kathleen Graham |
Producers | Francis Ford Coppola, Chris Hanley, Dan Halsted, Julie Costanzo |
Produced by
American Zoetrope Productions
Muse Productions
Eternity Pictures
Additional information
DCP: Paramount