Sofia Coppola's First Feature
The Virgin Suicides marked Coppola's debut as a feature-film director.
Movie
The Virgin Suicides
Beautiful, mysterious, haunting, invariably fatal. Just like life.
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents.
Why it's in the Vault
The Virgin Suicides finds tragedy beneath the seemingly ordinary surface of American suburban life. In her feature directorial debut, Sofia Coppola portrays the five Lisbon sisters through the memories and fascination of neighborhood boys who never truly understood them. Kirsten Dunst, years before becoming Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man, brings a compelling mixture of confidence, vulnerability and mystery to Lux Lisbon. What begins as an almost familiar portrait of adolescence gradually becomes something far more painful, while the world outside continues moving as though nothing extraordinary has happened. Coppola's delicate imagery and restrained storytelling are beautifully complemented by Air's hypnotic soundtrack, whose dreamy synthesizers give the film an unforgettable emotional identity. A haunting and rewarding discovery, more concerned with memory, distance and the unknowability of others than with conventional dramatic explanations.
— Matty, Curator of the Vault*
Atmosphere
Dreamlike, melancholic, suburban, intimate, haunting
Dreamlike melancholy
Suburban unease
Emotional distance
Musical atmosphere
Central themes include suicide, adolescent depression, emotional isolation, restrictive parenting, grief and death. Contains depictions and references to self-harm and suicide, including disturbing aftermath imagery. Suitable for viewers prepared for difficult mental health themes.
Dans les coulisses
Ce qu'on ne voit pas à l'écran
Kirsten Dunst Before Spider-Man
Dunst played Lux Lisbon before becoming Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
The film adapts the author's 1993 debut novel, preserving its collective male narration.
Air's Dreamlike Soundtrack
The French electronic duo composed an original score, including the memorable Playground Love.
Five Sisters, One Collective Memory
The story is told through the recollections of neighborhood boys rather than from the sisters' own perspectives.
A Period Piece Made in the Nineties
The story is set in 1970s suburban America, even though the film was released in 1999.
Aux origines
Adapted from Jeffrey Eugenides's 1993 novel The Virgin Suicides
Palette
Les couleurs du film
Lisbon Bedroom Pink#D7A5A5
Suburban Summer Gold#D6B878
Faded Polaroid Cream#E5D9BE
Garden Sage#899D81
Dreamy Lavender#A39CB8
Twilight Blue#64788C
Images
