Friday, March 27, 2009

The Virgin Suicides


Sofia Coppola: The Virgin Suicides (1999).

Kauniina kuolleet.
    US © 1999 Virgin Suicides, LLC. O: Sofia Coppola. M: Air. C: James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Michael Paré, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito. Colour, 1,85:1, DD 5.1, 97 min. Finnish subtitles Marko Hautala. Dvd, Future Film 2001.
     [My suggestion for the Finnish title: Nuorena nukkuneet.]

Sofia Coppolas debut feature revisited on dvd.

Wikipedia capsule: "Based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, the film tells of the suicides of the five Lisbon sisters in an upper middle class suburb of Detroit during the 1970s. The girls’ suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for the acts."

The Lisbon sisters have overprotective, isolating parents. – This is an account of the awkward age. – The movie has an interesting 1970s soundtrack. – The movie is a tragedy, but there also moments of joy, happiness, and love. – I saw the film during the first run. It was interesting to see it again now, having seen the development in their later films of Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, and Josh Hartnett. – The Virgin Suicides is a story of repression. One of the motifs is tree protection. The home becomes a prison. – Messages are sent via music codes. There is a gang of boys admiring the virgins. – There is a profound sense of loss and sadness. – The motif of the collective suicide resonates also with the contemporary school tragedies of Columbine, 1999, and later.

No comments: