Virgin Suicides (Debut Film)

Sofia Coppola’s debut feature, The Virgin Suicides, tells the tragic story of the five Lisbon sisters, growing up in a strict, stifling household in 1970s suburban Michigan. Told from the perspective of neighborhood boys who obsess over the girls, the film explores the disconnect between how young women are perceived and their inner realities.

Kirsten Dunst gives a standout performance as Lux Lisbon, the rebellious, alluring sister whose brief moments of freedom come crashing down under her parents' oppressive rules. James Woods and Kathleen Turner deliver haunting portrayals of the Lisbon parents — loving yet destructively controlling.

The film’s hazy, dreamlike cinematography, inspired by 1970s photography and the gauzy visuals of Terrence Malick, coupled with its ethereal Air soundtrack, captures the bittersweet nostalgia of youth. Today, it resonates even more, reflecting how social media forces young women into curated, idealized versions of themselves, while their true emotions remain misunderstood.