Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Movie of the Month - "The Virgin Suicides"

If you are Sofia Coppola you already have things working in your favor but you also have just as many things working against you. Born into the famous Coppola clan and not to mention that your father helmed The Godfather, it is hard to try and muscle your way into the business without flack. Yet, Sofia is a clever girl and knows what she is gunning for. So when she opted to make her first film, The Virgin Suicides, based off the classic book of the same name, she not only did it flawlessly and had the help of her family and their connections but proved she can tell a story on her own. The Virgin Suicides is a 60's period piece about mundane suburban life and everything that goes with it. For three sisters growing up in a strict and ultra conservative household, it was hard for them to not be labeled the weird girls in High School. With their hard existence in normalcy, the beautiful sisters became not just the talk of the town after their older sister took her life, they become the obsession for a small group of young men trying to find out more about them. With phenomenal performances by Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett and stellar stand showcases from James Woods and Kathleen Turner, The Virgin Suicides is a brilliant and haunting film. Backed by a great soundtrack from French band Air, Virgin Suicides is a film that grips from the beginning and holds on tighter till the end.