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The Virgin Suicides -
The loss of innocence and having to accept the cold, hard facts of life is a difficult yet natural part of leaving adolescence. Sofia Coppola's wistful and ominous directorial debut effectively argues that denying that any of this happens causes more difficulty. Suicide is not an easy thing to depict - despite so many filmmaker's intentions, it still tends to be overly romanticized - but I think this movie gets it right for the ways it frames the act as a tragedy that did not have to happen. The way that stands out is how the movie resembles a true crime documentary, whether it's the narration from the Lisbon sisters' grown admirers to the color scheme that gives the movie an aged look. Adding to this vibe is the feeling that we only experience glimpses of the sisters' lives that the narrators were lucky enough to catch, which not only adds to their mystery, but also makes their isolation and unanswered cries for help even more palpable. Achievements like these make the movie one of the most assured feature-length debuts I've ever seen. More of Coppola's touches I approve of are the hardly subtle yet apt metaphors from the not-so benign nature shows to the trees on the Lisbon family lawn. There are also the performances, especially Josh Hartnett's star-making turn and of course Kirsten Dunst, but my favorites are Kathleen Turner and James Woods as the protective parents. The way the react to the tragedies not with remorse, but with an air of acceptance as if they were inevitable is as strange as it is haunting.
The impulse to want to preserve and protect something or someone we find beautiful may seem honorable in the moment, but the consequences are dire. It's hard for a firefly in a jar to breathe or be with others of its kind, for instance, and placing someone on a pedestal is not only just as isolating, but it also makes falling down even more dangerous. Some may consider this a 2000 movie, but for the sad, eerie yet sometimes surprisingly funny ways Coppola uses the story of these sisters to prove this point, it's another reason why '99 is such a great year for film. If none of this still sells you on it, you should at least see it to understand why Trip Fontaine was such a popular Internet alias in the late '90s and early 00's.
The loss of innocence and having to accept the cold, hard facts of life is a difficult yet natural part of leaving adolescence. Sofia Coppola's wistful and ominous directorial debut effectively argues that denying that any of this happens causes more difficulty. Suicide is not an easy thing to depict - despite so many filmmaker's intentions, it still tends to be overly romanticized - but I think this movie gets it right for the ways it frames the act as a tragedy that did not have to happen. The way that stands out is how the movie resembles a true crime documentary, whether it's the narration from the Lisbon sisters' grown admirers to the color scheme that gives the movie an aged look. Adding to this vibe is the feeling that we only experience glimpses of the sisters' lives that the narrators were lucky enough to catch, which not only adds to their mystery, but also makes their isolation and unanswered cries for help even more palpable. Achievements like these make the movie one of the most assured feature-length debuts I've ever seen. More of Coppola's touches I approve of are the hardly subtle yet apt metaphors from the not-so benign nature shows to the trees on the Lisbon family lawn. There are also the performances, especially Josh Hartnett's star-making turn and of course Kirsten Dunst, but my favorites are Kathleen Turner and James Woods as the protective parents. The way the react to the tragedies not with remorse, but with an air of acceptance as if they were inevitable is as strange as it is haunting.
The impulse to want to preserve and protect something or someone we find beautiful may seem honorable in the moment, but the consequences are dire. It's hard for a firefly in a jar to breathe or be with others of its kind, for instance, and placing someone on a pedestal is not only just as isolating, but it also makes falling down even more dangerous. Some may consider this a 2000 movie, but for the sad, eerie yet sometimes surprisingly funny ways Coppola uses the story of these sisters to prove this point, it's another reason why '99 is such a great year for film. If none of this still sells you on it, you should at least see it to understand why Trip Fontaine was such a popular Internet alias in the late '90s and early 00's.