The Virgin Suicides

A Well Done Creation
Review by Nonia Bidness

Another movie that, ala American Beauty, opens with the narrator revealing that someone is dead. But as my husband pointed out, once you know the title of this film, you have a pretty good idea of where the plot is headed. So it is just a matter of how the story is going to unfold and what we will see in it.

This film is tells a meandering - not sprawling - tale, very loosely woven, in an almost dreamlike state at times. It is hauntingly lovely in certain moments, with a soft blur of blond beauty like an all-encompassing mist that seems to hypnotize everyone (or at least the group of adolescent boys who are telling this tale).

The statements about our families and our society were piercing, not simply penetrating - they strike the heart, showing us our toxic blandness, blatantly, exposing our diseased nature, much like the tree in the Lisbon family’s front yard, which is marked for removal by the city of Gross Point, at the beginning of the film. Ms. Coppola is blunt in making her points about the things that might drive a young girl to suicide. Still, a certain kind of compassion and understanding shines through, a little love mixed with humor to soften the nausea of self-examination. There were many comic touches, a noir feeling, a surreality, that makes the film difficult to classify.

Kathleen Turner was not easy to recognize at first glance, as this is a far cry from her femme fatale look of Body Heat! A wonderful role for her talents, though not a character that elicits warm feelings. James Woods is perfect as the absent-minded, dry math teacher, head of the Lisbon family. Kirsten Dunst is full of beauty and grace. All of the adolescents do well in their parts, very believable (except that darn wig of Josh Hartnett's!) and realistic.

There was a mixed up time feeling, as some music was from the 80’s, some from the 70’s, and some touches seemed more 60-ish to me. My feeling is that this adds to the idea that this is about all places and all times, not to be stuck into a time slot.

This is a well-done creation, and watching the mastery-in-the-making of Ms. Coppola is stronger than any depressing sediment with which one might leave the theater.

Movie mood: Serious movie
Bang for the buck: Wait for the video
Recommend to friends: Well, not every single one of my friends, no, but the ones who appreciate artistic films, yes!

Nonia Bidness May 28^th, 2000