The Virgin Suicides

It’s a bit of a lightweight film, but honestly, it’s visually stunning and easy on the eyes.
(Penelope, please forgive my blunt assessment of your cinematic taste.)

🙏 They ended up taking their own lives because they were stuck living under the thumb of unstable parents. Honestly? I found the movie pretty gripping.

Limeni Nos said:I’ve only ever heard about the Air soundtrack.

Your information is incomplete. While an Air soundtrack exists, there is also a soundtrack featuring other music from the film—specifically the tribal music and those records they use to communicate with the boys.

Larry Torres4 said:Well, this certainly doesn't 👎
The movie was supposed to be shocking, wasn't it? Instead, it felt like just another entry in the endless line of teenage dramas. Is being slow and boring really the same thing as being shocking or provocative?
It features beautiful cinematography that ultimately leads nowhere (much like >), the symbolism is rather heavy-handed, and the dialogue between the boys—especially toward the end—feels incredibly cheesy (they say the book is much better).
I suspect the film achieved cult status primarily due to > and the casting of ... overall, I didn't care for it.

As Diki and Milk so eloquently pointed out, isn't the entire point that we don't know why they took their lives? The narrative is intentionally ambiguous, riddled with massive gaps, because the film aims to mimic the unpredictability of life itself.
Personally, I am not particularly fond of >. It is a fine film, certainly, but I feel no compulsion to revisit it more than once every three years. It shares a certain subtlety and stillness with >, yet > is superior precisely because it manages such profound tragedy without ever slipping into sentimentality or offering easy explanations. Given that distinction, how can you claim this film is a typical teen flick? Your assessment seems quite misplaced.
And which symbolism specifically did you find too obvious? Please, enlighten me.
Furthermore, I am unaware of who claims the book is superior; both the novel and the film are excellent works. Those parts you found "cheesy" were lifted directly from the text. In fact, the film succeeds by perfectly preserving that sense of incompleteness.
I adore >. 😍 But then again, I have always been somewhat obsessed with the complexities of female adolescence.

George Green7 said:A weak little film, but pleasant enough. A visual treat, I suppose.
(Penelope, please forgive my refined cinematic soul.)

My refined soul forgives you.😁

Adam Harris7 said:And what symbolism am I overthinking? Please, I'm curious.

For instance, the fact that the father is asleep during one of the most pivotal scenes (literally)😉

And that ending where everyone just moves on like nothing happened... It doesn't do anything for me😉 sorry if that offends you..

Larry Torres4 said:For instance, the fact that the father falls asleep (literally) during one of the most pivotal scenes😉

And that ending—that whole "No one cares that they died, blah blah blah" bit... It just doesn't land for me.😉 sorry if that offends you..

I haven't the slightest idea which scene you are referring to. 🤔 I cannot recall it at all.

While it is perfectly clear that you did not enjoy the film, are you not being somewhat hyperbolic?
Regarding the final monologue:

So much has been said about the girls over the years. But we have never found an answer. It didn't matter in the end how old they were, or that they were girls... but only that we had loved them... and that they hadn't heard us calling. Still do not hear us calling them from out of those rooms... where they went to be alone for all time... and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together.

Is it really true that no one cares? 😉 I find myself unable to agree with your interpretation.

Larry Torres4 said:And that part where it goes "They died and nobody cares, blah blah blah"...

That was just a shortened version of the boy's final comment,😉 not a claim that nobody cares..

It’s obvious you love this movie, so there’s no point in us going back and forth about it. Cheers..

boldlynx2 said:🙏 They ended up taking their own lives because they were living with unstable parents. I actually really liked the movie.

I remember seeing a comment on Net a few years back suggesting they did it because they were intersex...😕

I’ve spent way too much time unsuccessfully trying to actually sit down and watch this movie—I mean, I’ve had the Air soundtrack on constant rotation for years now—and then, out of nowhere, ABC just decides to surprise me by airing it. It was such a pleasant shock. Honestly, it's a beautiful film. For once, the music and the visuals actually felt like they were breathing together; everything just clicked perfectly. The setting, that hazy, sun-drenched atmosphere where all these tragedies unfold... it was handled so well. It never once felt cheap or overly sentimental, which I think is hard to pull off. Just a wonderful piece of cinema. I am genuinely counting down the days until it hits the US market on DVD!

Chloe Reed37:
As a true cinephile, I suppose I can find it in my heart to forgive.😁

🙂 Much appreciated.

electriccyclist15 said:A few years back on Net, I came across a comment claiming those girls committed suicide because they were hermaphrodites.😕

🤣 What an absurd notion.
Has someone perhaps conflated The Virgin Suicides with another Eugenides novel regarding hermaphroditism? It's titled Middlesex, by the way, and it is quite exceptional.