Last year I already read the book by Jeffrey Euginedes, this week I finally saw the film of Sofia Coppola. ‘The Virgin Suicides’ was the debut for the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. I found it an enjoyable movie, as far as you can use that term for such a tragic story. Very well done is the portrayal of the oppressive atmosphere in which the four sisters are raised, with a very stiff, religious mother and a submissive father. Very dreadful is the scene in which the girls are allowed to have a birthday party for the first time. The shy boys from the neighbourhood, who have a secret obsession for the girls, are allowed to visit. The boys & girls don’t know what to talk about, so they focus all their attention on their fruit drinks…
After the first girl jumps out of the window the film gets a more grim character. The girls are kept indoors and the boys only catch glimpses of them. Slowly the film moves towards the dramatic climax. The overall atmosphere is a bit hazy and mysterious, and like in the book mysteries are not solved. An unorthodox story, displayed in a moody, subtle manner which keeps you wondering…
