Introduction

Published in 1993, Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides was lauded for offering a powerful tale of loss in a middle class Michigan family in the mid-1970s. Eugenides was praised for his careful observation and detail evoking both the fascination—and horror—of teenage sexuality and the connection between love, obsession and madness. Sofia Coppola was so taken with the novel that she drafted a screenplay without, in fact, owning the rights. On completion, she was able to convince the rights-holders to work together so that she could craft her debut film. Coppola’s film was presented to strong critical acclaim in the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999. This book examines Sofia Coppola’s haunting and austere adaptation of Jeffrey Eugneides’ acclaimed story of tragedy and loss. The book situates the film in the context of the 90s American independent movement, the legacy of production company American Zoetrope, and most saliently the enigmatic narrational devices and commercial intertexts characteristic of Coppola’s storytelling.