*Spoilers* I think that many people would rather argue that the suicides were obviously caused by the fact that the girls were sheltered; there can be no doubt that that was a factor. However, I have a different, idiosyncratic point-of-view. I think that the girls committed suicide because they lived in what they perceived as a man's world. There is evidence to back up my opinion. The first girl committed suicide during a party intended to keep the girls social; she probably noticed that the boys invited to the house were jerks, especially after noticing how they mistreated the kid who was mentally handicapped. During the same party, a teenager shot a dirty, sensual look at the mother (Kathleen Turner) of the five girls. The fact that she was not surprised by this behavior testifies to the mother's awareness that boys and men had been motivated by lust. The film was narrated by the teenage boys, and they even went out of their way to read the diary of the first girl. Throughout the movie, they only showcased their interpretation of why the daughters of Kathleen Turner's character killed themselves. One kid, for instance, even knew the sewer system as a way of getting into girls' houses; on a similar note, the boys collectively used a telescope to peep into the house of Kathleen Turner's family and often caught Kirsten Dunst engaging in sensual/sexual activity with a said, particular boy. Josh Hartnett's character also slept with a teacher's wife and eventually became a mental fixation of Kirsten Dunst's character. The film also displays camaraderie between Josh Hartnett and the girls' father who happened to be a teacher at the school the girls attended; such an encounter was symbolic of the cooperation which existed between men in controlling women. The event, for instance, mirrored the telescope scene. The fact that the girls did things like engage in sex and smoke marijuana testified to the fact that the girls had not been as sheltered and innocent as made out to be; Kathleen Turner, for instance, made Kirsten Dunst destroy her Kiss records. Although the relationships between the daughters and their dates were not completely unrequited, the girls were more discouraged than satisfied with their relationships. It is thus my interpretation that they committed suicide out of despair due to the fact that they could not envision a future in which they could control their destinies.
*Spoilers* Simone De Beauvoir would be proud of the movie. There is no doubt that it causes one to think. It addresses important issues such as innocence, lost innocence, selfishness, cruelty, lust, isolation, desire, relationships and disappointed romance. It is worth watching, but the overarching message can be taken too far. I find it ironic that the film's fictional setting had taken place in a suburb of Detroit during the 1970's. The film bewails the control that men have over women, but the city of Detroit soon experienced urban decay after the couple left the house upon discovering that all their daughters committed suicide.
6/10
*Spoilers* Simone De Beauvoir would be proud of the movie. There is no doubt that it causes one to think. It addresses important issues such as innocence, lost innocence, selfishness, cruelty, lust, isolation, desire, relationships and disappointed romance. It is worth watching, but the overarching message can be taken too far. I find it ironic that the film's fictional setting had taken place in a suburb of Detroit during the 1970's. The film bewails the control that men have over women, but the city of Detroit soon experienced urban decay after the couple left the house upon discovering that all their daughters committed suicide.
6/10