The Virgin Suicides

Whether it's a skill learned from hanging around the sets of her father's movies or something in the family blood, Sofia Coppola has definitely inherited a distinguishable talent as a filmmaker. The Virgin Suicides--her moody, dark and whimsical first feature foray behind the camera--is a mesmerizing and accomplished cinematic enigma about a quintet of innocently seductive teenage sisters who all kill themselves in the course of one month in the mid-1970s. Told from the perspective of a handful of smitten and spellbound neighborhood boys (still haunted by the inexplicable deaths 25-years later), Coppola wisely focuses on one sister, played with intrinsic sweetness and budding sexuality by the wholesome and supremely talented Kirsten Dunst. Imperfect in places, but quite unforgettable, this is recommended, overall. (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray Review—Apr. 17, 2018—Criterion, 97 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1999’s The Virgin Suicides features an excellent transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include 'Revisiting The Virgin Suicides' cast and crew interviews (27 min.), a 1998 'making-of' featurette (23 min.), an interview with author Jeffrey Eugenides (16 min.), a 'Strange Magic' production segment with writer Tavi Gevinson (14 min.), director Sofia Coppola’s 1998 short 'Lick the Star' (14 min.), Coppola’s music video for the soundtrack song 'Playground Love' by Air (4 min.), and an essay by novelist Megan Abbott. Bottom line: a handsome edition of Coppola’s atmospheric first film.]