The Virgin Suicides

       As the boys who lived opposite the Lisbons, sat outside and marveled at the beauty of the Lisbon sisters, I couldn’t help but wonder about the similarities of them to the Romanov sisters. The Romanov sisters— Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia were the last Grand Duchesses of the great Empire of Russia. The Lisbon sisters—Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux and Cecilia were Americans who lived in a suburb neighborhood. The basic descriptions were not much to enthuse one’s interest but their lives were covered with mystic and so much liveliness. Let’s debunk the myth here; the Romanovs are a real part of History while the Lisbons are characters in a novel.

       The Romanovs were princesses and surely, they had a great life. They were normal sisters who made the whole world intrigued about their suffering. They were the last of the monarchy of Russia. They loved each other and they defined the princess life. They had a brother, Alexei who suffered from Hemophilia, which they needed to get help from. Alexei was going to be the next leader of their country and having this disease will not help his situation. A simple bump in the knee or rowdy behavior of a boy can end his life. They met Rasputin, a man who swore to cure Alexei of the disease. They spent their time in castles and boats until they were captured. If you would read books about their life, writers would say that they accepted and adapted to their new life like it was normal and easy. But it certainly wasn’t. In the end, they were killed and the rest, as they say, is history. 

      The Lisbons are from The Virgin Suicides and neighborhood boys who were enticed and observed them told the story of the sisters. All of the sisters committed suicide one by one in the course of a year. They tell the story of the sisters whom they never interacted with, how they sunbathed, Lux’ crushes, Cecilia’s dream, Mary’s passion and so on. 

      History was kind to the Romanovs after all the circumstances. They defined an era and defined the fixation of people to the royalty. While other people formed a cult following to the Virgin Suicides and adored every single detail about the Lisbons. Sophia Coppola’s film was just an extended version of the story and left everyone arrested. The two set of sisters left everyone intrigued and haunted by their lost story. The other one was simply fabricated and the other was eerie and surprisingly real. 

- Danzelle Collantes
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