In looking up the biography of Sofia Coppola, director of The Virgin Suicides (1999), I found some interesting things. For information about Coppola herself, she was an actress before becoming a director. Casting in The Godfather III as Mary Corleone (1990), The Outsiders as Little Girl (1983) and a few others, Coppola understood the dynamics of film making. To test the waters of directing, she made two shorts, Bed, Bath and Beyond (1996), and Lick the Star (1998). Finding security in making these shorts, she went on to direct The Virgin Suicides (1999). In creating the film, Coppola created the script herself. Stating in an interview, “…it’s part of making a film: dreaming up in your mind the movie you want to make”.
Looking at the biography IMDb.com gives, there is a section called “Trade Mark” which lists what each director is most known for. For Coppola in The Virgin Suicides, sun being filmed through leaves and introduction scene focusing on the main character during an unidentified point in time, shown to express their loneliness, are two marks that stick out. There are plenty of scenes where the sun is shining through leaves. For the introduction, the youngest sister, Cecilia, is shown being taken to the hospital and has a very dull expression on her face while at the hospital and being evaluated by the psychologist.
Coppola put time and effort into making this film. As The Virgin Suicides depicts the life of five girls, Coppola makes that known and creates a world where the audience also cares for the girls and what happens to them.
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/q-a-sofia-coppola-on-the-virgin-suicides
Adolescence in 1990s Films 