The Virgin Suicides

Cecilia was the first to go.

What are you doing here? You're not 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 neighborhood

from the suicides of the Lisbon girls.

People saw their clairvoyants in the wiped out elms, the harsh sunlight,

and the continuing decline of our auto industry.

Even then we tried putting the pieces together.

We still can't.

Whenever we meet at business lunches or cocktail parties

we go 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 12.

And Lux was 14.

Bonnie was 15.

Mary was 16.

And Therese was 17.

No one understood how Mr Lisbon, our Math teacher,

had produced such beautiful creatures.

Paul Baldino said he found Cecilia on her first attempt.

I was the one who found her.

I was in the sewers. Through those tunnels you can get into anyone's house.

We believed him because Paul's dad was Sammy the Shark Baldino

and his escape tunnel led through the sewers.

So I wanted to see one of those lesbian girls taking a shower.

Yeah, right.

And I walk in... And I see blood everywhere!

So I turned around and went right back out the tunnel.

I had to tell you guys that story. See you guys later.

I heard it was an accident.

It was no accident. The parents are to blame.

I heard they found the razor in the toilet.

Everyone had opinions why Cecilia 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 an immigrant who was staying with relatives

until his family got settled in New Mexico.

He was the first boy here to wear sunglasses.

Within a week of arriving he'd fallen in love.

The object of his desire wasn't Cecilia, but Diana Porter.

I love her!

When Diana Porter left on vacation, Dominic denounced God.

And to prove his love, he jumped off the roof of his relatives' house.

I'm going to show you some images.

And... er, you tell me

what they remind you of.

OK?

A banana.

A swamp.

An Afro.

I don't think that 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.

And interact with males her own age.

Peter helped Mr Lisbon install a model of the solar system in his classroom.

In return, Mr Lisbon invited him for dinner.

Bless us, O Lord, in these, Thy gifts

which we receive from Thy bounty through Christ. Amen.

Amen.

- Lux, please put your shirt on this instant. - Sorry.

- Thank you, dear. - Can you pass the salt, please?

- Ham? - Thank you.

- Sweetheart, would you like some peas? - I hate peas.

It's a nice-looking ham, dear.

- Well, thank you, honey. - This is good, mum.

So, Peter, are you an aviation enthusiast?

Well, I don't know if I'd call myself an enthusiast.

I like planes.

Peter, are you on the football squad?

No. I play, but I'm not on the team.

- Oh, I see. - Not a team player.

Do you like to wrestle?

Are you OK?

A Brazilian frog entered the endangered species list today.

- That's the third animal this year. - Oh, dear. Darling, I've never heard of it.

- Excuse me. May I use the restroom? - Of course.

The one down here isn't working. Go upstairs through Cecilia's room.

OK, thanks.

Hold on.

I thought you'd died in there.

Are you done hogging the bathroom? I need something.

Do you mind?

- Thank you. - Are you forgetting something?

- Peter, here's an air foil... - Thank you.

It's a demonstration of Bernoulli's Principle.

Lift...

From then on the Lisbon house began to change.

Almost every day, and even when she wasn't keeping an eye on Cecilia,

Lux would suntan on her towel, wearing a swimsuit

that caused the knife-sharpener to give her a 15-minute demonstration for free.

Following the doctor's orders, two weeks after Cecilia returned home

Mr Lisbon persuaded his wife to let the girls throw the only party of their short lives.

There. Is that OK?

I've got to get dressed.

- Welcome. - Good evening, Mrs Lisbon.

Come on in.

The party's in the basement.

Just go to the left and then down the stairs.

Hi, I'm Bonnie.

- Hi... Tim. - Nice to meet you.

- Would you like some punch? - Yeah.

Thanks.

- Hi. - Thanks.

- Hi. - Thank you.

- Hey. - Hi.

- Do you want to sit down? - Yeah.

- How did your SATs go? - OK.

Good.

Do you know where you're applying yet?

No, but my parents are pushing towards Yale.

- Because that's where my dad went. - That's nice.

You have to imagine the clouds opening up

and out of the sun would come the Hun in his Messerschmitt.

And boys, just older than you, would be in this, the P51B Mustang.

"B" for bull's-eye.

- You've heard of Yale? - Oh, yeah.

- This punch is fantastic. - More?

What's in it?

Juices, some cherry... pineapple.

You know, I... I love pineapple.

Really?

This baby would come in. This won the war for the United Kingdom.

- Excuse me. - Sure.

And it's this kind of equipment that makes a model work.

Here's Joe.

- Hi, Joe. - Hi.

- If he needs anything, call me. - I'm sure he'll be fine.

- Hi. - Hi.

Joe. Good to see you. How are you?

- Glad you came tonight. - How's it going?

You're just in time.

Hi.

Look. His ears go if you scratch his chin.

Joe, sing your song.

Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga

Oh, the monkeys have no tails They were bitten off by whales

Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga

- Good song. - Good job, Joe.

Where'd you learn that song?

Can I be excused?

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

All right. If you want to go upstairs, do. We'll just...

We'll just have to have fun without you.

Look. He always chooses heads.

- Joe, what's it going to be? - Heads.

Joe, try tails.

Heads it is!

- Let's go. - Heads.

Heads! One more time.

- In the air, Joe. - Heads.

Heads it is!

- One more time. Call in the air, Joe. - Heads.

Heads. Not bad.

- How are you doing? - Good.

- He picked it up really well. - This is my favorite song.

You know, you're... very beautiful. Like a saint.

I could paint you some time.

Thanks.

Did they sing it?

Wow, that's good!

God!

Oh, Lord!

Cecilia!

Oh, my...! No! No, no, no!

Don't look. Turn around.

Turn around! Darlings, turn... Oh, my God!

Oh, Jesus!

Please, God.

We're here now.

No funerals today.

He said she was only 12.

Hi, Mary. Are your parents home?

Hi, Father. Come in.

Oh. Hello, Father.

Please, sit down.

Thanks.

Come on, that was inside!

Uh, no. No, thanks.

How about we get the missus down here? Have a little chat?

I'm afraid she's under the weather.

She's not...

seeing anybody.

Well, she'll see her priest.

This kid's a sucker for the inside ones every time.

Every time.

Excuse me.

Father...

Double play, Father.

Double play.

Mrs Lisbon?

- May I come in? - OK.

Hello, girls. I thought we could talk.

Do you feel like talking?

Well... if you ever want to,

you know where to find me.

Mrs Lisbon? It's Father Moody.