Sofia Coppola may not always get the credit for her work whether due to ire about her nepotistic success or for legitimate reasons (I've heard rumors she had very little to do with the making of this film), but the fact is that I really enjoy The Virgin Suicides, her first feature film.
She gained a much bigger following for the more personal hit Lost in Translation (which she lost some of with Marie Antoinette) but, despite a few off notes (like the scene involving a crying girl talking about rat poison which plays like something out of a crappy But I'm a Cheerleader caliber indie), Virgin Suicides is an ethereal, beautiful and heart breaking film that has been a long time favorite of mine and is extremely rewatchable.
The art direction, by Jasna Stefanovic, and the cinematography, by Ed Lachman, are basically impeccable, evoking nostalgia and presenting the world of young girls that the novel, by Jeffrey Eugenides (which the film is based on), painted with words so expertly. All the acting is pitch perfect, poor Josh Hartnett has never equaled his turn as Trip Fontaine and Kathleen Turner and James Woods are, not surprisingly, beyond criticism in their roles.
The plot, which revolves around the lives and angst of five lovely teens, is better to experience as the bewitching movie unfolds if you haven't already seen or read it, so I will keep mum. All you need to know is that is a fascinating, wistful and haunting film with a soundtrack as hip as its director and her friends.
But what do you think?