With over two decades of filmmaking under her belt, it is a rewarding experience to go back to the beginning of Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation, On The Rocks) the director. Of course, the indie favorite has been a part of the moviemaking process since she was a baby, almost exclusively in her father Francis Ford Coppola’s films, but her prowess behind the camera was anything but assured. The offspring of celebrities are often judged even more harshly when compared to their parents, but with the 1999 debut of The Virgin Suicides it was clear that she had a strong voice of her own to express. Based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Jeffrey Eugenides, the adaptation of The Virgin Suicides took a source material concerned heavily with the deep chasm between how boys view girls in relation to reality and made the girls more than just totems. Without drastically changing the core of the novel, Coppola used simple filmmaking and storytelling choices to bring a world of depth that would announce her as a pivotal new voice in cinema.
From the opening moments, Coppola subverts the sexualization of young girls in high school films as she takes on the trope of “sexy” food eating as fourteen-year-old Lux (Kirsten Dunst, Drop Dead Gorgeous) chomps down on a popsicle instead of fellating it for audience titillation. This vibrant blonde is one of five equally-lovely sisters in the Lisbon family. As with the novel, the narrative is literally controlled by narration from a voice representing a group of now-adult men reflecting back upon the impact the Lisbon sisters had on their suburban Michigan community during their youth in the 1970s. With memory comes a general dreamy quality which Coppola and cinematographer Ed Lachman capture beautifully. The emergence of each sister feels like a glamorous occasion, a romantic depiction of what these girls meant to them and all the mysteries they held inside.
It is easy to understand why these boys are so captivated by the sisters; you have five “perfect” blonde sisters all precisely spaced one year apart ranging from 13 to 17. This little detail gives a peek into the traditional Catholic upbringing administered by their parents, their meek math teacher father Ronald Lisbon (James Woods) and his stern homemaker wife Sara (Kathleen Turner). To the boys, the girls are caged birds unable to truly be known outside of small moments observed from afar – a singular force of striking golden blonde hair with mysteries unknown. At least, this is how the novel represents these young women. Coppola makes the wise shift to give subtle, yet distinct personalities to each of the sisters first seen through signature introductions and continued throughout to be manifested in amusing and tragic ways. We actually understand how oppressive the environment is inside of the Lisbon house and why things turn out like they do.
The story begins in earnest with the first suicide attempt by the youngest daughter, one that does not prove to be fatal but sets the story on its tonally enigmatic path. The subject matter is inherently dark; the film announces what happens at the beginning and still keeps you riveted to see how things actually play out. Intellectually you know what is coming, but Coppola allows this to simply feel like a particularly well-crafted high school drama filled with equal amounts of dark humor and heartache. The “classic” plot point of a group of boys getting to look inside of a girl’s diary is used to perfect thematic effect. On the surface, you have teenage boys trying to decode what they think they know about these girls through the text they see on the page. What they cannot seem to see past, though, is that girls have deeper thoughts than just dreaming about boys. What they might find to be boring or inconsequential musings shows a young mind curious about the relationship she has with her sisters and the fate of the world at large.
One of the ways in which the visual medium improves upon this story is the way in which Coppola and Lachman shift from the dreamy, idealized perspective of the boys to the cold reality of the girls. Rather than imagine the heartbreak of being left alone after a night out with a boy, we see how small she feels with an expansive “eye of God” shot as she gathers her things and makes the trek home to a known horror show. That is not to say that Coppola completely ignores the boys; the story is in large part about these men excavating their past to understand their future. Coppola just ensures that the Lisbon sisters are recognized as people. Too often are girls burdened with the expectations of what boys expect and want them to be, leaving them to feel as if who they actually are is not of equal worth, among worse outcomes. Even the girls know they are seen as indistinct objects, as eldest sister Therese (Leslie Hayman) remarks how they are just going to be divvied up by the boys when they learn they get to go to the prom.
For this film to be a directorial debut is immensely impressive. Not only does Coppola navigate a particularly tricky tone, but she shows consideration in shot composition and editing that keeps things from feeling routine. She should also be commended for the way in which she gets terrific performances from her entire ensemble, especially from Dunst. This is a role that was pivotal in signaling her transition into more adult roles that would keep her working in the auteur-driven side of filmmaking that she thrives within. Coppola asserts her distinct vision in every facet of the pictures, down to the dreamy score from French electronic duo Air which contrasts the hit parade of ‘70s tunes quite nicely. She has had her fair share of beloved films in the intervening years, but The Virgin Suicides is one that continues to stand out as one her best. The film is truly a captivating work of tragic beauty.
Video Quality
The Criterion Collection presents The Virgin Suicides with a terrific 2160p HDR10 transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative that has been approved by director Sofia Coppola and supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman. Those who have the previously-released Criterion Blu-Ray that is also included will already be aware of how gorgeous the film already looked remastered.
This new release is not a night-and-day difference, but it offers some solid improvements that should leave fans very pleased. The level of detail and clarity within this dreamy world is miraculous with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. There are no signs that any grain reduction has been applied, as you get a fine sheen that resolves quite well without veering into swarmy noise. The texture revealed in the costumes, production design and within the landscapes are even more immediate. Discrete facial details such as makeup and blemishes present with impressive clarity. All minor moments of print damage have long since been eradicated.
When the original Blu-Ray release came out in 2018, there were some segments of the audience who did not like the subtle shift in color grading applied, but most will agree that the look of the film has not been compromised in a negative way that betrays the intention of Coppola and Lachman. The HDR10 pass is used to preserve the P3 wide color gamut of the theatrical color space, but the film does not go crazy with highlights. There is nuance and depth given to the colors is quite lovely from the warm glow of the nostalgic memories of the boys to the cooler reality of the experience of the Lisbon girls. The command of each setting is what really makes this presentation sing.
The film’s exterior locations with vegetation and hot summer weather provide colors that leap off the screen in a natural way. Highlights remain intentionally muted to align with Coppola’s intentions, but black levels seem to provide even more stability, or at least better encoding to prevent any subtle digital anomalies. This transfer is a win for fans of the film and stands as the best representation on home video to date.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track which handles the material flawlessly. The score by Air and other period music is used perfectly to establish the ethereal mood of the story, and this track conveys this without fail throughout the duration of the film. There is never a moment where it comes close to overwhelming competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The track focuses pretty heavily on the front channels given the importance of dialogue, but there is a fairly broad soundscape which captures the considered sound design of the film with perfect fidelity. The environmental sounds are rendered well alongside everything else. The low end response is not particularly robust outside of musical cues, but it does provide some appreciated texture to the proceedings. There does not seem to be any noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. The Criterion Collection has given this film a wonderful audio experience.
Special Features
The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Virgin Suicides includes a foldout booklet featuring the essay “They Hadn’t Heard Us Calling” by author Megan Abbott which provides a thoughtful analysis of the movie, its themes, how it compares to the novel and more that is so worthwhile. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Revisiting The Virgin Suicides: An excellent 26-minute piece from 2018 in which Sofia Coppola, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and actors Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett reflect back upon the making of the film. Coppola discusses her approach to the material, how she arrived at getting into directing, her relationship with her various collaborators, how she worked with different performers and more. Lachman has some interesting insights into the motivations behind the composition of certain shots while Dunst and Hartnett discuss what it was like working with Coppola, memories from production, the impact the film had on their careers and much more.
- Jeffrey Eugenides: A nearly 16-minute interview with the author in which he discusses his inspiration for the book, his admiration for the adaption of his work, what it was like being on set for certain scenes, talking to certain performers about character backgrounds, what Coppola brought to his story and more.
- Strange Magic: A 13-minute interview with writer Tavi Gevinson in which she discusses some of the themes of the film and how it resonated with her so much as a teenager that it inspired her to publish a fanzine in 2012. You get to hear firsthand accounts and analysis of the film that is very valuable.
- Making Of The Virgin Suicides: A 23-minute documentary shot by Sofia Coppola’s mother, Eleanor, during the production which features interviews with James Woods, Jeffrey Eugenides, Kathleen Turner, Scott Glenn, and Josh Hartnett, and many other. This gives you a fun glimpse at how these key subjects were feeling at the time, but often in a way that feels more authentic than your typical behind-the-scenes footage.
- Lick The Star: A 14-minute 16mm short film from 1998 which provides a really interesting portrait of the highs and lows in the life of a teenage girl. This is one of the more entertaining short films I have seen in some time.
- “Playground Love”: The nearly four-minute video for the Air song shot by Sofia Coppola and her brother Roman Coppola is provided here.
- Trailers: Nearly four minutes worth of trailers for the film are provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Virgin Suicides is a truly terrific debut film from Sofia Coppola which brings a valuable perspective to this adaptation without compromising the intent of the material. The ways in which she uses film as a visual and audio medium that drives the feature on a narrative level instead of surface-level indulgence is admirable. The performances in this one are strong across the board, but you have to give proper shoutout to Kirsten Dunst for making the most out of every role she has ever tackled, truly proving she is one of our most underappreciated actresses working today. The Criterion Collection has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers a knockout A/V presentation and some wonderful special features. If you are not already a fan of the film, be prepared to experience something truly special. Highly Recommended
The Criterion Collection edition of The Virgin Suicides is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.