Film: THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

In her feature-film directorial debut, an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides, writer/director Sofia Coppola explores the emotional underpinnings of a family starting to come apart in 1970s Midwestern America. The Lisbons seem like an ordinary enough family—Father (James Woods) teaches math at a high school in Michigan, Mother (Kathleen Turner) has a strong religious faith, and, together, they have five teenage daughters, ranging from 13-year-old Cecilia (Hannah Hall) to 17-year-old Therese (Leslie Hayman). However, the Lisbon family’s sense of normalcy is shattered when Cecilia falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide. The family is shaken and Mother and Father seek the advice of psychiatrist Dr. Hornicker (Danny DeVito), who suggests the girls should be allowed to socialize more with boys. However, boys soon become a serious problem for Cecilia’s sister Lux (Kirsten Dunst). [97 min; drama, romance; English]