Virgin Suicides Script

(distant siren)

(water dripping)

(man) Cecilia was the first to go.

(siren approaches)

(voices over two-way radio)

(siren starts)

(heart monitor beeping)

What are you doing here, honey?

You're not even old enough

to know how bad life gets.

Obviously, Doctor,

you've never been a  13-year-old girl.

Everyone dates

the demise of our neighbourhood...

..from the suicides of the Lisbon girls.

People saw their clairvoyance in

the wiped-out elms, the harsh sunlight...

..and the continuing decline

of our auto industry.

Even then, as teenagers,

we tried to put the pieces together.

We still can't.

Now whenever we run into each other

at lunches or parties...

..we find ourselves going over

the evidence one more time.

All to understand those five girls,...

..who, after all these years,

we can't get out of our minds.

Cecilia, the youngest, was 13.

And Lux was 14.

Bonnie was 15.

Mary was 16.

And Therese was 17.

No one could understand how Mrs Lisbon

and Mr Lisbon, our math teacher,...

..had produced such beautiful creatures.

Paul Baldino claimed to have

found Cecilia on her first attempt.

Hey, I was the one who found her.

I was in the storm sewer under my house.

There's all these tunnels.

You could get into anyone's house.

When Paul said this, we believed him...

..because he was the son

of Sammy "the Shark" Baldino,...

..and we knew about his escape tunnel.

So I went up, thinking I could see

one of those girls taking a shower!

Right!

And I walk in...

..and I see blood everywhere.

So I turned around, went for the stairs

and right back out the tunnel.

I had to tell you guys that story.

I'll see you guys later, all right?

- (woman) I heard there was an accident.

- (woman #) It was no accident, Joan.

Of course the parents are to blame!

I heard they found the razor in the toilet...

Everyone had an opinion

as to why Cecilia had tried to kill herself.

That girl didn't want to die.

She just wanted out of that house.

She wanted out

of that decorating scheme.

The most popular theory

held Dominic Palazzolo to blame.

Dominic was staying with relatives

until his family got settled in New Mexico.

He was the first in our neighbourhood

to wear sunglasses,...

..and within a week ofhis arrival

he'd fallen in love.

The object ofhis desire wasn't Cecilia,

but Diana Porter.

I love her!

When Diana Porter left on vacation

in Switzerland, Dominic denounced God.

To prove the validity ofhis love...

..he jumped offthe roof

of his relatives' house.

Ahem! I'm gonna

show you some images,...

..and, uh... you tell me...

..what they remind you of.

OK?

A banana.

A swamp.

An Afro.

I don't think Cecilia

truly meant to end her life.

Her act was a cry for help.

I know you're very strict,...

..but I think that Cecilia would benefit

by having a social outlet...

..outside of the codification of school,...

..where she could interact

with males her own age.

Peter Sisten had helped Mr Lisbon install

a model ofthe solar system in his class.

And in return Mr Lisbon

invited him for dinner.

Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts,...

..which we are about to receive from thy

bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Amen.

Lux, please, put your shirt on this instant.

(whispers) Sorry.

- Thank you, dear.

- Can you pass the salt, please?

- Ham?

- Thank you.

- Sweetheart, would you like some peas?

- I hate peas.

Here.

(father) That's a nice-looking ham, dear.

- Well, thank you, honey.

- (girl) Mm, this is good.

So, Peter, are you an aviation enthusiast?

Well, I don't know if I'd call myself

an enthusiast, but I like planes.

Ah.

Uh, Peter, are you on the football squad?

Um, no, I play it,

but I'm not actually on the team.

- Oh, I see.

- (father) Ah, not a team player.

Do you like to wrestle?

- (girls laugh)

- (father) You OK, Peter?

The Brazilian turbot frog was added to

the endangered species list today.

- That's the third animal this year.

- Oh, dear.

The turbot frog?

I don't think I've ever heard of...

Um, excuse me, may I use the rest room?

Oh, of course. The one down here

isn't working very well.

- Go upstairs through Cecilia's room.

- OK. Thanks.

- (knocking)

- Hold... Hold on.

(giggles) I thought you'd died in there.

Are you done hogging the bathroom?

I need something.

Do you mind?

(giggles)

- Thank you very much.

- You forgetting something?

Oh, Peter. Here's a little aerofoil

I thought you might find amusing.

It's a...

..demonstration of

Bernoulli's principle: lift.

From that time on,

the Lisbon house began to change.

Almost every day,...

..and even when

she wasn't keeping an eye on Cecilia,...

..Lux would suntan wearing a swimsuit...

..that caused the knife sharpener to give

her a -minute demonstration for free.

Following the doctor's orders,

two weeks after Cecilia returned home...

..Mr Lisbon persuaded his wife to allow

the girls to throw the first and only party...

..of their short lives.

There. Is that OK?

I'm gonna get dressed.

- Welcome!

- Good evening, Mrs Lisbon.

Come on in.

The party's in the basement.

Just go on round to the left,

and then down the stairs.

(mellow middle-of-the-road music)

Hi, I'm Bonaventure.

Hi.

- Hi. Tim.

- Nice to meet you.

Hi.

- Would you like some punch?

- Yeah.

Thanks.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Thanks.

- Hi.

- Thank you.

- Hey.

- Hi.

Do you wanna sit down?

- Yeah.

- Me too.

(nervous laughter)

Um, how did your SATs go?

OK.

Good.

Do you know where you're applying yet?

Well, no, but my parents

are pushing towards Yale...

..cos that's where my dad went.

That's nice.

You have to imagine

what it'd be like when...

..out of the sun would come the Hun

and his Messerschmitt coming down.

And boys, I swear,

two or three years older than you...

..would be in this - the P B Mustang.

B for what? For bull's-eye, see?

You've heard of Yale?

Oh, yeah.

This punch is fantastic.

- Can I give you more?

- Sure. What's in it?

Juices. Some cherry, pineapple.

You know, I uh... I love pineapple.

Really?

This baby would come in, and this won

the war for the United Kingdom. You see?

- Excuse me.

- Sure.

And it's this kind of, uh...

this kind of equipment that makes, uh...

..a model work.

Here's Joe.

- Hi, Joe.

- Hi.

- Now, if he needs anything just call me.

- Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine.

Hi.

Hi.

- Joe! Good to see you. How are ya?

- Hey, Joe.

- Glad you came tonight.

- How's it going?

You're just in time.

Good. Hi.

Everyone look! His ears wiggle

if you scratch his chin.

(laughter)

Joe, sing your song.

# Oh, the monkeys have no tails

in Zamboanga

# Oh, the monkeys have no tails

Got bitten off by whales

# Oh, the monkeys have no tails

in Zamboanga

- (cheering)

- Good job, Joe!

(boy) Good job, Joe.

(# The Hollies. "The Air That I Breathe")

Where'd you learn that song?

May I be excused?

If you want to, dear, but this is your party.

Oh, all right, if you want to go upstairs,

go ahead, but we'll just...

We'll just have to have fun without you.

Oh, look. He always chooses heads.

- Joe, what's it gonna be?

- Heads.

Joe, will you try tails?

Heads it is!

I'll show you again. Let's go.

- Heads.

- Tails.

Heads.

- One more time. In the air, Joe.

- Heads.

Heads it is anyway. One more time here.

- OK, call in the air, Joe.

- Heads.

Heads. Not bad.