It's hard to remember when we made fun of Sofia Coppola's performance in The Godfather: Part III. How could we have known she was merely on the wrong side of the camera? The new Criterion Collection release of her feature debut, 1999's The Virgin Suicides, reminds us how immediate and obvious were her gifts as a director. It's one of those films that stays lodged in your senses, a thorny, funny, lyrical and singular story of high school boys putting high school girls on a pedestal, and the tragic consequences. It also has a perfectly utilized soundtrack, from the French pop duo Air, and one of Kirsten Dunst's definitive performances. In bringing Jeffrey Eugenides' novel to life, Coppola arrived as a fully formed filmmaker, and she hasn't slowed down since.
Flashback: With 'The Virgin Suicides,' Sofia Coppola arrived as a fully formed filmmaker
The new Criterion Collection release of Sofia Coppola's feature debut, 1999's "The Virgin Suicides" reminds us how immediate and obvious were her gifts as a director.
