Intermission: Sofia Coppola's film lives up to father's reputation

"The Virgin Suicides"

Directed by: Sofia Coppola

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner and James Woods

Rated: R

At the beginning of Sofia Coppola's directorial debut, a psychiatrist tells a young girl who has just attempted suicide, "You're just a kid. You're not even old enough to know how hard life gets."

"Obviously, doctor," she replies, "you've never been a 13-year-old-girl."

This conversation perfectly sets the tone for "The Virgin Suicides," a haunting tale and a film that shows Coppola has obviously learned a thing or two from her director dad, and maybe her husband, Spike Jonze (who recently directed "Being John Malkovich.")

Truthfully, Coppola stands on her own here, and this particular story benefits greatly from having a woman at the helm.

"The Virgin Suicides" is a wispy, ethereal piece of filmmaking, and brings to mind other movies like Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock," Woody Allen's "Interiors," and Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm."

Kirsten Dunst, in the lead role, has proven again that she is a young actress to be reckoned with. She played the young vampire girl in "Interview With the Vampire," and has been in 25 feature films.

Dunst's role here is her most complex to date, and she deserves the notice she's getting for perfectly embodying the character that is the heart and soul of Jeffrey Eugenides's much heralded novel.

The film is narrated by the voice of Giovanni Ribisi, who refers to himself as "we," and is the collective memory of a group of boys remembering the five girls that fascinated them 25 years ago, when all concerned were still young teens.

The Lisbon girls are growing up in a house dominated by an over-protective mom (Kathleen Turner) and an ineffectual father (a restrained James Woods.)

The girls pretty much keep to themselves, and Mom won't let them do anything as dangerous as going on dates, or even riding in a car.

Early in the film, Cecilia, the youngest Lisbon girl, finally succeeds in what appears to be a series of suicide attempts. This makes Mrs. Lisbon pull the reins in even tighter on the other four girls who, for the most part, go along with the rules quite passively. At least three of them do.

Lux Lisbon (Dunst) is like Lolita in the Nabokov novel. Her blossoming sexuality both fascinates and confuses her, and the tighter mom squeezes, the more determined Lux is to explore. The fact that she's not overtly rebellious and still much under her mother's influence is a subtle nuance that Coppola realizes is essential and Dunst captures with great effect.

The local high school heartthrob, Trip Fontaine, has fallen hard for Lux and convinces Mr. Lisbon to let him and three of his football buddies take the Lisbon girls to the school dance. Mom is not happy but eventually gives in only to have her worst fears realized when Lux doesn't come home until the next morning. The girls are pulled out of school and kept under virtual house arrest.

They begin covertly contacting a group of neighborhood boys who will do anything for the girls and eventually agree to help them escape their prison. It is on this night that the film's climax occurs. From the first line of the film (and from the title) we know what's going to happen. The underlying tension is derived from not knowing where, when or how. Coppola pulls off this balancing act nicely.

"The Virgin Suicides" is a serious movie but not without its (decidedly dark) humor and will be remembered as one of the best films of 2000. It's also a fine starting point for a promising new director.

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)