HomeFilm‘The Virgin Suicides’ Blu-ray review

‘The Virgin Suicides’ Blu-ray review

Similar to the 4K UHD release of ‘Mulholland Drive’ from StudioCanal, they have once again collaborated with the Criterion Collection for this exquisite release of ‘The Virgin Suicides’. Working from the same restoration, and with a largely comparable selection of special features, if importing the much pricier Region A Criterion disc is out of the question, this is a great alternative to get your hands on Sofia Coppola’s visually striking and startlingly confident debut

Based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, ‘The Virgin Suicides’ tells the tragic story of the Lisbon sisters – five teenage girls growing up in suburban Detroit in the mid 70s in a repressive religious household. The film is told from the perspective of the boys who lived on their street—now grown up—reflecting on the events of that fateful summer.

The loose plot follows the events which take place in the aftermath of the failed suicide attempt of the youngest sister Cecilia. The parents (brilliantly played by Kathleen Turner and James Woods) reluctantly agree to give the girls more freedom and interaction with their peers, in the hope this makes Cecilia feel better. I don’t think after 20-plus years it would be a spoiler to say it doesn’t work.

What makes ‘The Virgin Suicides’ so fascinating is how much it subverts your initial expectations. You would expect Coppola to craft a story that gets under the skin of these tormented young women, but instead we spend the entire film looking in from the outside. It’s entirely from the point of view of boys who know nothing about girls, and even less about the Lisbon girls.

The Virgin Suicides
Credit: StudioCanal

They’re too fascinated by them to ever get to know them. They are enchanted by these beautiful young women, and Coppola portrays the Lisbon sisters in the way the boys see them, in these hazy images of youthful perfection. There’s something unknowable about them, and through the way Coppola frames certain scenes, coupled with the ethereal score by Air, it gives the film a disquieting, almost haunted feel.

The performances Coppola teases from her cast are exceptional across the board. As already mentioned, Turner and Woods are wonderful as the overbearing parents. The star turn however is Kirsten Dunst as Lux, who is absolutely magnetic. Coppola’s camera loves her. Josh Hartnett is also excellent as the boy who steals Lux’s heart.

Amid all the woozy, dreamy visuals, and soft-focus end-of-summer feel, there’s a flinty, ice-cold horror beneath the surface of ‘The Virgin Suicides’. The influence of ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ can be felt throughout the film, and the denouement has lost none of its power over the years. It still shocks, it still haunts, and it stays with you long after the film has ended.

This new release comes with one brand new special feature, a 25-minute exclusive interview with Air (JB Dunckel and Nicolas Godin) discussing the hugely influential score they created for the film. The rest of the special features have been ported over from the Criterion Collection release. ‘Revisiting The Virgin Suicides’ from 2018 is a terrific retrospective on the film, and includes interviews with Coppola, Josh Hartnett, and Kirsten Dunst.

Making The Virgin Suicides is a 30-minute fly-on-the-wall documentary from the set of the film, and behind the scenes, which was shot and directed by Coppola’s mother, Eleanor Coppola. There is also an interview with author Jeffrey Eugenides. The disc is completed with Coppola’s 1998 short film ‘Lick the Star’.

There’s a couple of other pieces from the Criterion disc—a music video, a video essay by Tavi Gevinson, and of course the booklet essay—which haven’t made it across to this release, but apart from those, it is pretty much like for like. So unless you are specifically wanting the Criterion version on your shelf, you can save yourself a fair few quid with this excellent StudioCanal release.

The Virgin Suicides
Credit: StudioCanal

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Kathleen Turner, James Woods Director: Sofia Coppola Writer: Sofia Coppola Released By: StudioCanal Certificate: 15 Duration: 97 mins Release Date: 13th March 2023

John Parker
John Parker
John is a freelance writer and film reviewer for Entertainment Focus.

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Similar to the 4K UHD release of ‘Mulholland Drive’ from StudioCanal, they have once again collaborated with the Criterion Collection for this exquisite release of ‘The Virgin Suicides’. Working from the same restoration, and with a largely comparable selection of special features, if importing...‘The Virgin Suicides’ Blu-ray review