Capturing Femininity: The Subtle Art of Visuals in Sofia Coppola Films
Agnes Volland
25 February 2025
25 February 2025
“We felt the imprisonment of being a girl, the way it made your mind active and dreamy, and how you ended up knowing which colors went together.” - Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides
It’s a gloomy day mid-November, and I'm watching the rain fall outside. Showers patter softly against the porch as I sit with my legs stretched out on the couch. I’m listening to The Virgin Suicides soundtrack, its jazzy instrumentals creating a dreamy, melancholy atmosphere.
Sofia Coppola is an award-winning director known for films Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and—most recently—Priscilla. Her work tends to revolve around privileged, upper-class white girls, delving into the complexities of femininity and isolation through post-punk soundtracks and pastel-hued visuals. I think a mixture of nostalgia and rebellion—cigarette butts, baby doll nightgowns, hair rollers, peach schnapps. Coppola’s films resemble Justine Kurland’s Girl Pictures, with cinematography that echoes her photographs of girls walking barefoot along streams, eating ice cream in flower fields, and smoking in public bathrooms.
But where do her films fall short? As daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia’s privileged upbringing shapes her storytelling, often presenting a narrow historical lens that overlooks the experiences of marginalized groups. The Beguiled may be the best example of this. Coppola replaced Mattie—a Black slave character from the original film—with Edwina, played by Kirsten Dunst. Rather than addressing the issue of race, the film chooses to ignore it altogether, focusing entirely on the experiences of Southern white women. Set near the end of the Civil War in a schoolhouse, the film uses ominous and darker lighting—much of it shot at dusk and sunset—contrasting sharply with the main characters’ pale skin and modest, white wardrobes.
Similarly, The Virgin Suicides portrays the Lisbon sisters as angelic and otherworldly, enhanced by the use of ethereal lighting. Coppola emphasizes the material aspects of their lives, showcasing the chaotic details of their bedrooms filled with perfume bottles, lipsticks, rosaries, nail polish, and bracelets. The Virgin Suicides is the ultimate portrayal of girlhood and femininity. The pastel color palette and warm-toned visuals contrast sharply with darker, cooler-toned moments, such as the suburban neighborhood on a sunny summer day vs. the cemetery on an overcast one, or the girls getting dressed for a school dance vs. Lux waking up the next morning on the high school football field. Set in a 1970s Michigan suburb, the film occurs during a period of turmoil in nearby Detroit, where racial riots and police brutality were at an all-time high. Over one-hundred unarmed young Black men were shot and killed within a two year span. However, like in The Beguiled, Coppola chooses to ignore these events, focusing on the experiences of a white family in their suburban bubble.
Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, is Coppola’s latest exploration of a female-centric narrative. The film portrays Elvis Presley’s controlling nature and avoids romanticizing their relationship, focusing instead on how Priscilla was objectified by both her husband and society. While the movie centers on the female gaze, much of its runtime is devoted to scenes of shopping, parties, and Priscilla playing with her dog. Though it attempts to delve into her emotional depth, the film ultimately falls short of doing so. Similarly lacking dialogue and character complexity, Marie Antoinette may represent every reason why critics and audiences alike take issue with Sofia Coppola’s work. The film sympathizes with Marie Antoinette, portraying her as a victim of societal and royal pressures. Like in Priscilla, Coppola highlights scenes of indulgence—partying, gambling, shopping for wigs, eating macarons. However, Marie Antoinette approaches the queen with empathy, emphasizing her youth and vulnerability, contrary to in movies like The Bling Ring, where Coppola satirically frames the teens as spoiled and ignorant.
In Lost in Translation, the chaos and loudness of Tokyo serve as a backdrop to Scarlett Johansson's quiet, introspective journey. The film highlights feelings of solitude and alienation amidst the hustle and bustle of a large city. However, the Japanese characters lack agency and are often reduced to stereotypes. Arguably, the story could have taken place in any large metropolitan center. The cinematography reinforces the film's melancholic tone, with cool, muted colors and scenes often shot on overcast or rainy days to reflect the characters' depressive states and the somber atmosphere of big city life.
It’s a gloomy day mid-November, and I'm watching the rain fall outside. Showers patter softly against the porch as I sit with my legs stretched out on the couch. I’m listening to The Virgin Suicides soundtrack, its jazzy instrumentals creating a dreamy, melancholy atmosphere.
Sofia Coppola is an award-winning director known for films Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and—most recently—Priscilla. Her work tends to revolve around privileged, upper-class white girls, delving into the complexities of femininity and isolation through post-punk soundtracks and pastel-hued visuals. I think a mixture of nostalgia and rebellion—cigarette butts, baby doll nightgowns, hair rollers, peach schnapps. Coppola’s films resemble Justine Kurland’s Girl Pictures, with cinematography that echoes her photographs of girls walking barefoot along streams, eating ice cream in flower fields, and smoking in public bathrooms.
But where do her films fall short? As daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia’s privileged upbringing shapes her storytelling, often presenting a narrow historical lens that overlooks the experiences of marginalized groups. The Beguiled may be the best example of this. Coppola replaced Mattie—a Black slave character from the original film—with Edwina, played by Kirsten Dunst. Rather than addressing the issue of race, the film chooses to ignore it altogether, focusing entirely on the experiences of Southern white women. Set near the end of the Civil War in a schoolhouse, the film uses ominous and darker lighting—much of it shot at dusk and sunset—contrasting sharply with the main characters’ pale skin and modest, white wardrobes.
Similarly, The Virgin Suicides portrays the Lisbon sisters as angelic and otherworldly, enhanced by the use of ethereal lighting. Coppola emphasizes the material aspects of their lives, showcasing the chaotic details of their bedrooms filled with perfume bottles, lipsticks, rosaries, nail polish, and bracelets. The Virgin Suicides is the ultimate portrayal of girlhood and femininity. The pastel color palette and warm-toned visuals contrast sharply with darker, cooler-toned moments, such as the suburban neighborhood on a sunny summer day vs. the cemetery on an overcast one, or the girls getting dressed for a school dance vs. Lux waking up the next morning on the high school football field. Set in a 1970s Michigan suburb, the film occurs during a period of turmoil in nearby Detroit, where racial riots and police brutality were at an all-time high. Over one-hundred unarmed young Black men were shot and killed within a two year span. However, like in The Beguiled, Coppola chooses to ignore these events, focusing on the experiences of a white family in their suburban bubble.
Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, is Coppola’s latest exploration of a female-centric narrative. The film portrays Elvis Presley’s controlling nature and avoids romanticizing their relationship, focusing instead on how Priscilla was objectified by both her husband and society. While the movie centers on the female gaze, much of its runtime is devoted to scenes of shopping, parties, and Priscilla playing with her dog. Though it attempts to delve into her emotional depth, the film ultimately falls short of doing so. Similarly lacking dialogue and character complexity, Marie Antoinette may represent every reason why critics and audiences alike take issue with Sofia Coppola’s work. The film sympathizes with Marie Antoinette, portraying her as a victim of societal and royal pressures. Like in Priscilla, Coppola highlights scenes of indulgence—partying, gambling, shopping for wigs, eating macarons. However, Marie Antoinette approaches the queen with empathy, emphasizing her youth and vulnerability, contrary to in movies like The Bling Ring, where Coppola satirically frames the teens as spoiled and ignorant.
In Lost in Translation, the chaos and loudness of Tokyo serve as a backdrop to Scarlett Johansson's quiet, introspective journey. The film highlights feelings of solitude and alienation amidst the hustle and bustle of a large city. However, the Japanese characters lack agency and are often reduced to stereotypes. Arguably, the story could have taken place in any large metropolitan center. The cinematography reinforces the film's melancholic tone, with cool, muted colors and scenes often shot on overcast or rainy days to reflect the characters' depressive states and the somber atmosphere of big city life.
