The Virgin Suicides - Verlorene Jugend

A beautiful adaptation of a great novel.

It is the premises for this admirable work of sofia Coppola to reflect, in precise manner, the universe proposed by Jeffrey Eugenides. The faithfull portrait of characters, atmosphere, life in neighborhood is one of basic virtues.

The second good job remains the acting and the surprising way to define, from Josh Hartnett to Kirsten Dunst the complexity of age, the seduction and vulnerability and life like dream, preserving the ambiguity defining the story.

Not the last virtue is the intensity of emotion of reader of novel, rediscovering details and slices , accurate adaptated.

A film about loneliness, life of small comunity , a couple loving, in his way , cold and precise, their daughters and a form of vulnerability , not surprising for teens, but defining the perspective about life in cold manner.

I've searched for this movie more than two years, cause I've read the book and I do love it. It's one of the most beautiful stories about teenagers that had ever been written. The suicides of these five beautiful girls aren't to be taken seriously, it's a metaphor the author uses. He wants so write about the strange and often really terrible feelings teenagers have. And Sofia Coppola created an atmosphere I can't describe. Just as a light wind on a hot summer day, if you know what I mean. She's really one of the greatest young directors (especially female) of our time. "Lost in Translation" is a masterpiece as well. The actors were good, Kirsten Dunst is such a great actress, she should do more movies like "The Virgin Suicides", where she really has to act. Josh Harnett is wonderful as Trip and the girls who play Therese, Mary, Bonnie and Cecilia, are great discoveries. If you like films with depth, films you have to think about, this one here is remarkable for you. Please, watch it and immerse in the world of the Lisbon girls and the boys next door.

P.s.: I hope I didn't make too much mistakes. :)

When I first saw The Virgin Suicides during its original release, I thought it was a good looking film but suffered from the 'style over substance' syndrome. Having revisited recently I have changed my mind.

What does it all mean and how is this film to be viewed. I initially thought it was all and really only about the girls, but years later I realize it's more about the boys/now men. The whole thing is told exclusively from their perspectives. And one that is but distant memories/recollection from their youth. As such the viewer really must take these decades of distance between the events and the retelling into consideration and accept that the narration is suspect. It is suspect not only for the many years time, but it's basically teenage boys experiences with beautiful and captivating girls as the objects of those memories, told by the now adult teenage boys. The girls are so mysterious to the boys and the audience because teenage boys know nothing about teenage girls, and even though they are now adults they still don't understand them. The story is a combination of how things happened, along with how now decades later, they would have actually liked things to have played out. As such this makes a lot more sense and clarity to the story and one that I finally find to be interesting and worth checking out.

25 years ago in an affluent Detroit suburb, math teacher Ronald Lisbon (James Woods) and his wife (Kathleen Turner) have five beautiful girls. The neighborhood boys led by Tim Winer are all fascinated by them. The youngest Cecilia (Hanna Hall) tries to kill herself. Psychiatrist Dr. Horniker (Danny DeVito) tells the strict parents to let the girls interact with boys. They throw a party for the girls but Cecilia throws herself out the window impaling on the iron fence spikes. Father Moody (Scott Glenn) tries to comfort the family. Cecilia haunts everybody. Lux Lisbon (Kirsten Dunst) is the most outgoing and catches the eye of hunky Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). Lux and the sisters Mary (A.J. Cook), Therese (Leslie Hayman) and Bonnie (Chelse Swain) would always hang out together. After a night out, the girls are kept inside with little outside contact.

Sofia Coppola brings a floating sad mysterious moodiness to the movie. She creates an unique dreamy vibe. The girls are fascinating but like the neighborhood boys, they remain a mystery throughout the movie to me. They feel like something imaginary that one can't get a hold of. That is very fascinating but after awhile, it's also very tiresome. We are forever outsiders looking in. I love the music, the mood and the style but I still want more.

genuine film talent runs in the blood. sophia coppola's debut is so perfectly done that it'll be hard for her to top. her use of camera angles and shadowing and filters came together so well. i didn't get to see it big screen but you don't need to. it's so elegant and "large" a film.

the acting is subtle and astute. the soundtrack lends to the film better than most films i've seen come out of new hollywood.

the only continuity flaw i saw was the elm tree being in the front yard towards the end after it was so cerimoniously cut down. being the psychological focal point of the film, they should have been more vigilant chequing the dailies...

virgin suicides and american beauty both show profound promise for new hollywood. see them both...