Since I spent yester-evening glued to the Oscars, which were a largely boring broadcast this year, I watched my Netflix movie of the week earlier in the day. This turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me to digest this haunting film a little. Out of the gate, I believe this is a modern masterpiece, and I'm sad I missed the film until now. Not everyone will agree, of course. For a freshman filmmaking effort, though, Sofia Coppola showed quite a lot of maturity and produced an amazing film in the process. Actually, after this film and Lost in Translation, I'm quite impressed all around.
The Virgin Suicides is based on a novel. It's told from the perspective of five boys (including Trip Fontaine, played by Josh Hartnett, looking very young and boyish, I might add) who lived in the neighborhood and went to school with five sisters ranging from 13 to 17 years of age. Between them, and through the narration of Giovanni Ribisi as one of the boys, unidentified, telling the story in retrospect, they try to unravel the mystery behind what would eventually be a mass suicide. The Lisbon sisters seem to come from an ordinary enough suburban family living in 1970s Michigan - one of the Grosse Pointes, apparently; their father (James Woods) is a high school math teacher, and their mother (Kathleen Turner) is a matronly and concerned parent. Many of the plot summaries provided in various places, including on Spout, indicate that this is a religious family, but aside from a brief mention about a church service following a misstep by one of the sisters and the appearance of a priest at one point, there does not seem to be much emphasis on faith. What the viewer does know is that these parents, or at least the mother, seem to be very strict and overprotective of their daughters, but their seemingly untarnished way of life is shattered when the youngest daughter, Cecilia (Hannah R. Hall - formerly of Forrest Gump fame), develops a deep but puzzling depression and commits suicide. Life for the family begins to unravel in many ways, and the parents try to cope by releasing some of their hold on their daughters, until Lux (Kirsten Dunst) becomes involved with the aforementioned heartthrob, Trip, and he seduces then abandons her. The pendulum of extreme parenting swings again until, eventually, the girls take drastic action to escape.
This movie is a masterpiece because of the attention paid to detail in the film, from story to visual to atmosphere. At first glance, the narrative is disjointed and incomplete - but it's meant to be that way. The story is told entirely from the perspective of all of the engrossed pubescent boys living in the neighborhood, which lends comic relief but also is from a perspective that is never meant to have the complete story, since they were never privy to the inner workings of the family. It's a neighborhood mystery, and the only answers that could ever really come would come from the Lisbon family itself. The fact that the movie never strays from this perspective, not in the least, makes the mystery itself satisfying and the viewer content not to know for certain what may have been the last straw. The viewer, like the boys, is left with only educated guesses. What's even more gratifying is that Sofia Coppola, as screenwriter and director, never takes a stand or force-feeds the viewer any particular possibility as truth. She allows the guesses to linger and evaporate, but the guesses and the outcome are haunting and thought-provoking in the process.
That may be because the story itself is meant to be relatable on several levels. On the one hand, it proves to be a social commentary on the plight of and pressures placed upon the American young woman of any time period, though it seems to offer some hope in its subtle whimsy. On the other hand, it's a sly examination of parenting and possible outcomes, even if the threads cannot necessarily be sewn together between the parents' and the children's actions. On still another hand, it's a graceful study on an epidemic that threatens generations more and more as time plods forward: teen angst to the furthest extremes and the actions taken by teens to cope, including suicide.
What's also amazing about this movie is the visuals. Since the story's told from the boys' perspective, the meandering from reality to fantasy as they attempt to piece together the mystery of the Lisbon girls is quite effective. The cinematography, with its delicate, nostalgic haze, lends well to the blend between the two extremes. The whimsical insertion of fantasy scenes, like the boys' pretend vacations with the girls when the latter is under house arrest and confinement, lightens the viewer just enough to keep from being overcome by the looming, ultimate eventuality.
The soundtrack was also amazing, score and song alike. It hit all the right notes and lent well to the sequence of events unfolding on the screen.
If there was any true flaw to this film, I am not aware of it. It's a heavy topic, to be sure, and I would not really classify this film as a dark comedy, but it's one of those films that has everything, including a full emotional experience and an engrossing, moving storyline.
I think I have to give this film a rare 10 for being a masterpiece. The only film that compares to this film in originality and message in my eyes is American Beauty, but that film (released the same year, I believe) comes from a different perspective entirely and is a dark comedy. I see no flaws to this film, and if I did, I've forgotten them in less than 24 hours. Does it pass the test? I'm uncertain but leaning toward no. It is a very sad movie in the end, and I don't buy too many sad movies. Maybe if I see it again, I can make up my mind better. It's haunting enough for now having just seen it once.