The Virgin Suicides was Sofia Coppola’s directing debut as she adapted the literary sensation of its day: Jeffrey Eugenides’s novel of the same name.
The story revolves around five teen sisters in 70s suburban Michigan who take their own lives. Starring Kirsten Dunst, the movie was released in 1999 and is a delicate movie that displays only the tip of an iceberg of themes such as girlhood, religious fanaticism, and family oppression.
Just like the title of the movie, many were confused as to why the Lisbon sisters killed themselves. However, the movie nor the book sourcebook never revealed an exact answer as to why they took their lives. It was said that the Lisbon sisters killed themselves as they felt that they were living a life where there was no room for them to be themselves. They struggled with a range of emotional and psychological issues, including depression and anxiety, as they were repressed and sheltered by their strict and overprotective parents.
What Was the Point of The Virgin Suicides?
The story is about five teenage sisters who evoke a mix of fascination and curiosity from everyone who lays eyes on them. Touching upon the importance of mental health, the movie highlights femininity through the male gaze.
It wanted to show society considering girls as something that needs to be protected, essentially wrapping them in a bubble of fairy tales. However, it does reveal the social stigma of girls having to be pure and obedient to be acceptable in society.
Why Is It Called The Virgin Suicides?
The Pulitzer-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides, the author of the source novel, kept the title ambiguous in a way and revealed that it has to do with the Virgin Mary card that appears around the town. The name of the movie is figurative as the girls aren’t necessarily virgins, but the term can refer to their youth and innocence.
In a conversation with Dazed Digital, Jeffrey Eugenides talked about the title, referring to it more as suffering and religious imagery. He jokingly said that he thought that would be the title that any tabloid or magazine would have used.
“The title is ambiguous in a way. It has to do with the Virgin Mary card that appears around the town and reinforces the Catholic nature of the Lisbon family. The virgin has lots to do with religious imagery and suffering, and it’s perhaps more to do with that than physical virginity. I was really thinking about what those suicides might have been called in a tabloid or magazine. Obviously, not all the Lisbon girls are virgins,” said the author of the novel.
Why Does Trip Leave Lux on the Field?
Following Cecilia’s death, the parents became a bit more protective of their remaining daughters, causing them to become more isolated from the community. Lux, the most rebellious sister, begins to have a secret romance with Trip Fontaine, the popular school heartthrob.
After winning the King and Queen titles at the homecoming dance, Trip and Lux walk to the football field, where they make love. However, Trip abandons Lux after having sex with her and shows the least sympathetic moment, giving a prototypical excuse that he just suddenly got sick of her.
How Did Cecilia from Virgin Suicides Kill Herself?
Cecilia Lisbon was the youngest Lisbon sister and was considered odd by her sisters and neighbors alike, largely because of her unique fashion sense. At the age of thirteen, Cecilia was the youngest one to take her life as she tried suicide twice, first by slitting her wrists and, next, by jumping from her bedroom window. The character is shown to be an odd, withdrawn girl with no real friends and strange interests.
Did Mary Lisbon Survive?
At the age of 16, Mary is the second-oldest Lisbon sister who was the last one to die by suicide, as her first attempt failed. In her first attempt, when all the four remaining Lisbon sisters attempt suicide at the same time, Mary puts her head in the oven, but she survives.
However, she later took her life by overdosing on sleeping pills, and a month later, they all tried taking their life.
What Does the Virgin Mary Symbolize in The Virgin Suicides?
The Laminated Picture of the Virgin Mary was the plastic cards of the Virgin Mary on which the girls scrawl their notes. It is a copy of the same plastic card that Cecilia was found holding during her first suicide attempt.
This symbolizes the mystery and uncertainty surrounding the Lisbon suicides, as the cards themselves are like puzzle pieces that the neighborhood boys never figure out how to fit into the larger picture.
The Virgin Suicides Ending Explained
Sofia Coppola’s debut feature launched and boosted many a career. As the book is narrated from the Male Gaze itself, its narration puts audiences firmly in the dreamy half-imagined world of the sisters. Following the death of the sisters, the Lisbon parents flee the neighborhood, and the boys are left to deal with the aftermath.
While the adults in the area try to forget what happened, the boys can’t stop thinking about the Lisbon sisters. As they became adults, they continued to be haunted by the mystery surrounding the girls’ deaths and their unrequited love for them.
Later, their house is sold to a young couple, and the family’s belongings are sold in a yard sale where boys collect family photos and other mementos that are put out with the trash.
The Virgin Suicides is now available to stream on Paramount Plus and you can rent it on Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.
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