To mark 25 years since the release of The Virgin Suicides, director Sofia Coppola is opening the archives. Yesterday, she unveiled The Virgin Suicides – a haunting, linen-bound photo book that traces the visual language of her directorial debut through the lens of the late British photographer, Corinne Day.
Known for her raw, intimate style and for redefining 1990s fashion photography, Day brought an unvarnished honesty to Coppola’s suburban fairytale. Her lens moved quietly through the film’s Michigan mise-en-scène: from the soft melancholy in Kirsten Dunst’s eyes to fleeting snapshots of cast and crew between takes. The result is a collection that feels as ephemeral and haunting as the film itself – a visual whisper of adolescence and constraint.
What's it about?
Accompanied by new writing from Coppola and novelist Jeffrey Eugenides, whose original novel inspired the film, the book becomes a layered meditation on girlhood, gaze, and grief. Presented in an embossed linen-bound edition, the book is a tactile tribute to both Day’s signature style and Coppola’s pastel-soaked world-building. Items from the set – lace bras, drugstore lipsticks, rosaries, and rusted bicycles – appear like relics of a forgotten shrine. Day’s camera doesn’t just document; it communes with Coppola’s vision, revealing the deep trust and feminine sensibility that defined the shoot.
More than just a behind-the-scenes album, the book becomes a cinematic artefact – a communion between Coppola’s pastel melancholia and Day’s documentary realism.
When is it available?
The book is available to purchase now, timed to honour the film’s 25th anniversary.
Where can I purchase it?
The Virgin Suicides is available worldwide from MACK publishing (with express shipping available) and all good book stores.
