The film The Virgin Suicides is a 1999 American movie directed by Sofia Coppola, which is according to the novel written in 1993 by Jeffery Eugenides. The movie in the form of narration described the story of the Michigan in seven decades. Lisbon is a very ordinary family home, the father taught mathematics at a middle school, the mother believe in religion, there are five more than 10-year-old daughter in family. They are Cecilia, Lux, Mary, Bonnie, Therese. Small daughter Cecilia was depress, loss of confidence in life, attempted suicide but was found in time. Then her father and mother brought her to psychiatrist, Dr.Horniker. Dr.Horniker thought the way to ensure the mental of health girl was to make them more contact with boys. Lisbon hold a party for Cecilia. When they had a party, Cecilia suicided falling in the garden iron fence. Therefrom, the Lisbon got into shadow. At school dancing party, Lux and the Trip fell in love. At that night, Lux gave her virgin to Trip. After soon Trip left her. Lisbon had forced their daughter to leave school. They were locked in the house against to communicate with the outside world. One day, a boy their neighbour received a letter, Lisbon girls wanted the boys to bring them to get away from their family. But they just found the bodies of Lisbon girls. Mr and Mrs Lisbon moved out of the hourse.A few years later, the boys grew up. They came to Lisbon house, Cherish the memory of the Lisbon girls ...
The movie shows a vivid portrait of troubled adolescence, and throughout all the beauty of women permeate the shadow of confusion and death. The director did very well about the balance between fantasy and reality. It is displayed that teenagers want to need their own space, confidant instead of being isolated from school. They have a lot stress from family, parents, society, love.
What is destroyed to them that they do in the end? Strict tutor or love, or only a powerful invisible of terrible loneliness? The beginning is that Lux standing in the road ate popsicle. It is a middle short that shows she seemed to thinking something. The camera moves with she moved away. Left a empty road. At that time, everything is good. Plants look green.
1. Screenshots: medium shot
2. Screenshots: long shot
Then camera moves to one tree. Loggers looked at every tree and hung on diagnosis card (Notice for removal)the tree. Cecilia pinned her hopes on this elm tree. The story begins with Cecilia suicide. The director use narration of the beginning. Descriptive nature of the whole thing, plain narration, adding a number of anxiety. External sound with words to match the time with each shot, the outside through the four boys who were attracted to pay attention to the mysterious girl at home in Lisbon.
Air France electronic music production team film music matched with atmosphere perfectly. Slow drum beat led lens in the corner of Michigan street and walking through houses, a kind of quiet serenity of the scene the afternoon time like a well-concealed in a dream. Suddenly the music stop, drop sound, a cold voice appears: "Cecilia was the first to go”. Kick off the film.
3.Screenshots shows doctor talked to the Cecilia.
It uses medium shot to shoot the conversation between doctor and Cecilia.
Doctor: What are you doing here? Honey, you haven’t old enough to know how bad life gets.
Cecilia: Obviously, doctor. You have never been a 13 year old girl.
The camera moved to Cecilia’s face with no expression. The whole story is like a puzzle, those lazy dialogue, each person on the surrounding that age does not matter shown by the attitude of uncertainty surrounding the eyes of all things, and this attitude of all the confusion generated, as people tremble with fear. Cecilia not really want to suicide, her act is a cry for help. Mr and Mrs Lisbon asked help for Dr.Horniker. Dr.Horniker thought from Cecilia chose the pictures. He suggested that their daughters should have more connect with others. So parents hold a party for Cecilia. But Cecilia chose kill herself finally because she felt boring, disappoint ever felt hate. This is the first pointing to the subject of suicide, and worsened the mother to protect her daughter's emotional . There is no significant reason to escape.
4. Screenshots: 4 boys sitting around to read Cecilia’s diary
Camera moved from left to right to show the Cecilia’s diray. From the diary, Cecilia has emotional instability. She is a dreamer. Someone completely out of touch with reality. This is the conclusion about Cecilia after the boys read her diary. Cecilia spent a lot of pages to write the dying elm tree. For this tree, can be said that the hope of Cecilia. The shot is about one boy looking at the tree. He watched Cecilia. The shot is a worm’s eye angle. After Cecilia dead, still occurs in the home, a tree. Death is an expression. Just like doctor said, she didn't want to kill herself, just want to fly. After Cecilia dead, she was less mentioned in the rest of the film. Only in the protection of that section of the tree that it is a favorite tree Cecilia alive. Sofia did not focus on description of the film into the clear atmosphere. Four sisters to the dance, Lux and Trip fall in love, the air filled with the smell of happiness and youthful beauty. Lux could not make it home as it was the pleasure of being replaced by dark clouds. Four girls in the house, and finally to suicide. This is still a guardian of the mean. It can’t say that the rest 4 girl kill themselves have no relate on Cecilia’s suicide.In this film, the direct use a lot of panning. For example, the Lisbon invited Peter to have dinner with them. When Peter into Cecilia’s bedroom, he looked around. Camera moving direction is from left to right . It shows teenager boy was curious at girl’s room. This is a phenomenon of puberty, boys and girls are interested in each other.
5.Screenshots: Close-up
The director uses the close-up shot to indicate that Lux looked like a angle. After dancing, Lux and Trip through the night in the football field. The next day in open court Lux wake up alone, a look of innocent desperate. As the early morning cold white light, with a point and unflagging attention, has proclaimed the death of a teenage girl.6.Screenshots: Lux wake up alone, pick up the imperial crown, went home.
The scene was from bird’s eye view and also was a extremely long shot. She picked up the crown and went home alone. She was abandoned. Another shot was also bird’s eye view, but in the field there is Trip.
The director uses a non-linear style to show why Trip left Lux alone in the playground. Twenty years later, Trip did not fell the guilt. Lux really fell in love Trip. What about Trip? Nobody knows. The meaning of he in this film, perhaps a reference to the cruel reality.
When she returned home, she was punished. All her favorite records were burned. One scene that showed her mother let Lux burned her singing records. The camera moved from her mother walked down the stairs. Mrs Lisbon didn't allow daughters to school. Let they felt more depression. Nobody can understand them. They felt despair. It was mentioned many times in film that television and media to cover news broadcast on the issue of youth suicide. Community also gave the children a lot of pressure. Too strict family discipline, public opinion of right and wrong, hypocritical sympathy of neighbors, all of which takes people a corner-like.
The music video from start to finish through the air appropriately. Psychedelic, floating virtual, unreal, like all of us , sometimes be treason, sometimes be lost and dark and worried.
7.Screenshots: a boy fell into the swimming pool
Until the last, in fact, we do not understand why they commit suicide. The girls still open after the death of other adult party. When man said: I’ve had it. Goodbye, cruel world. The director uses the High-view angle. His action showed desperate.At the end, the boys admired you, holding a lighter toward the abandoned house to pay tribute to the picture of you, never forget. This extreme story, by the end of a sad gesture.The movie likes dream journey, five girls committed suicide, as described in the news, which is national tragedy, black, evil, including a witty satire. The director tried to use a kind of expression which can not explain and can not afford the health of the pain
The director uses many different shots, camera angles, and color in order to show not only the Lisbon girls want freedom , but also any other teenagers want. Sometimes parents, school, society put more stress on them which let them out of breath. So they choose suicide. They don't understand what is love. They need friends and understanding. Among youth in the beautiful and cruel, usually only half a step away.
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