It’s okay to see a movie by yourself.
At least that’s what I kept telling myself on my way to the Bijou last weekend, as I carried my notebook and smuggled junk food into the theater for the premiere of “The Virgin Suicides.”
Two hours later, I couldn’t have been happier for the solitude. Not because it was a terrible film. Just the opposite. This first-time offering from director Sophia Coppola is a work of art that would make dad proud. And it’s a great film to think about afterward.
I love watching movies. When I was six years old, I saw “Return of the Jedi” seven times in the theater. When I was eleven, I secretly took the bus into the city to watch the midnight sneak preview of the first Batman film. And a few years ago, I broke-up with a girl because she and her mom dragged me to see “The English Patient.” And they loved it.
As a film, “The Virgin Suicides” succeeds on many levels. First, the leverage of Francis Ford Coppola, who produced the film, cannot be denied. Would a first-time filmmaker get the support of James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Danny Devito, Kirsten Dunst and an assortment of other big-name players for their directorial debut? Probably not.
But this is far from a case of daddy’s girl does good.
Sophia Coppola takes the wealth of talent and delivers a film of exceptional value.
The story revolves around five young women, the Lisbon girls, growing up in 1970s Michigan. At the onset of the film, we are introduced to the story through the narrative voice of a group of young boys who were fascinated by the girls and continue to be haunted by their ghosts 25 years later.
The youngest Lisbon, 13-year-old Cecilia, has just attempted to commit suicide. Through the boy’s narration, we learn that she will be successful in her second try, and the rest of Lisbon girls will soon follow suit.
You might think this sets the stage for a depressing powerhouse of gothic proportions. It doesn’t. The film is uplifting, very humorous and filmed with a strong sense of visual poetics.
Coppola lets us into the final days of the Lisbon girls, as they struggle for happiness and an answer to their sister’s death.
James Woods and Kathleen Turner both deliver great performances as the protective parents of the Lisbon girls. However, even in their overbearing, tumultuous, Catholic parenting, it’s difficult not to like the parents. Especially Woods, who reveals a depth to his character that would easily be overlooked by less talented actors.
The supporting cast is tops as well. Kirsten Dunst is Lux, the most outgoing of the Lisbon children. Her world erupts with sexual energy as she begins to discover boys, alcohol and the new cultural revolution, i.e. drugs.
In hot pursuit of Lux is Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett), the school’s heartthrob and cultural revolutionary, i.e. doper. Admired by all the other school girls, he only has eyes for Lux, who continually denounces his calling. It’s a young romance that revels in its ethereal shedding of innocence.
The film’s soundtrack was produced by the French band Air. The group’s synth-retro feel fits exquisitely into the film’s context, as they reveal a darker sound not heard on previous releases. I bought the film’s soundtrack about a month before the film premiered, and it was the perfect gateway into this other-worldly collage of wonder, wisdom and death.
There are a few weak points to the film: more time could have been given in some of the character development, and some of the film’s questions are unnecessarily left unresolved. But overall it’s a fabulous debut from Coppola and, hopefully, a promise for another generation of great films from the Coppola family.