To Die For

Gus Van Sant, USA 1995, 106 minutes

Tackling many of the same issues as Natural Born Killers, only with a great deal more maturity, aplomb and success, Van Sant's black-hearted examination of the role of the media in American society hits home.

Opening with a montage of headlines documenting the murder trial of weather-girl Suzanne Stone, the film then backtracks to the events leading up to the murder, including Stone's ascent through the ranks of TV to full-blown celebrity status.

Anyone unsure about Nicole Kidman's acting ability after Batman Forever, needs only to take a look at her glamorous, vacuous bad girl Stone, the cold, calculating career gal who believes that her boorish husband (Matt Dillon) is holding her back from fulfilling her lifelong dream of stardom. We cut between the action and faux-documentary footage of those involved being interviewed and as she smiles demurely and spews forth soundbite after soundbite about the glory of TV ("In America, you aren't anyone unless you're on TV"), it is our job to look between the lines and see the manipulative, murderous bitch who shows through occasionally in a flash of the eyes or a tilt of the head.

Worthy of mention is Joaquim Phoenix (brother of River) as the unfortunate high-school kid Stone seduces. He plays the sullen, introspective teen, and makes his obsession with Stone so painfully real that we utterly forgive him for what he does.

The issue of celebrity-as-criminal is unmistakably relevant in the light of the O.J. Simpson trial and this cynical, barbed film makes for highly entertaining viewing.

"Sharply pointed and cruelly funny... this is Kidman's moment. ****" - Empire

Review by Ben Stephens
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97

"In America, you're not anyone unless you're on TV", asserts mega-bitch cum weather girl Suzanne Stone, giving voice to both the central theme of To Die For and the America of the second half of the twentieth century. From her subtle purple eye shadow down to her yellow please-fuck-me pumps, Suzanne [as played by Nicole Kidman] embodies the garishness which makes TV easy to dismiss but harder to forget. We may choose to turn up our consciously-cultured noses in disgust at the medium, but accept it or not, its effect is inescapable.

Indeed, the presence of television in all its grotty glory is integral to every aspect of To Die For, beginning with the true story which in part inspired the film. Although adapted from Joyce MaynardUs book of the same name, To Die For echoes the case of Pamela Wojas, a New Hampshire school teacher who coerced two of her students to murder her husband [some kids'll do anything to make the grade]. The Wojas story was made into a 1991 American television special, replete with the sensationalistic title of "Murder In New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Story". This title alone suggests the talk show-ready nature of the story, bringing to mind images of homicidal women and sleepy towns being rudely awakened by a cold bath of human blood.

The talk show approach to the Pamela Wojas case is translated to To Die For via the direction of Gus Van Sant, director of such films as My Own Private Idaho [the last movie in which Keanu Reeves actually succeeded in forming complete sentences] and Drugstore Cowboy. Van Sant styles much of To Die For in a talk show-style format, staging many scenes as interviews with various characters. In fact, the audience is first introduced to the plot and people of the film through these interviews, which serve to form a present perspective of past events. Coupled with the flashback scenes which make up the majority of the movie, this approach proves quite effective. The interviews, especially those featuring Suzanne, provide the film with a hindsight which injects To Die For with a satirical black humour.

This black humour is what saves To Die For from falling into the potentially easy trap it sets for itself. It would be tempting for the film to go completely over the top with such subject matter, and thus become part and parcel of the same material it seeks to examine. Black humour, with tongue fixed firmly in cheek, gives the film the distance it needs in order to provide accurate commentary. Van Sant and Co. know this is twisted stuff, and, by grinning morbidly at it, give it the treatment it needs and deserves.

However, although To Die For may satirize the spectacle of television as personified by Suzanne, it does reserve some sympathy for those unfortunate enough to be caught in Suzanne's tacky and diabolical wake. This sympathy is especially apparent in the film's treatment of Jimmy, the sweet but dim high school delinquent who, driven by teenage lust, willingly falls under Suzanne's spell. He allows himself to be manipulated and [literally] screwed over by Suzanne because his pulsating hormones and genuine devotion to her allow no room for resentment or suspicion. His relationship to Suzanne is like that of a devoted dog to its psychotic master, loyal yet bewildered. Jimmy is played by Joaquin Phoenix, and his performance here proves that the family talent was not limited to his late, great brother River. As Jimmy, Phoenix makes you want to hug him, and then smack him for being so stupid.

This is a film marked by excellent but unshowy performances. In particular, Illeana Douglas is hilariously sarcastic as Janice Maretto, Suzanne's sister in law. Janice can smell bullshit from miles away, making her relationship with Suzanne less than successful. Also notable is Matt Dillon as Larry, SuzanneUs well-meaning husband, doomed because he allows himself to be controlled by anatomy much farther south than his brain.

It wouldn't be right to say that To Die For belongs to Kidman, because it doesn't. However, her performance finally allows her to come through as a talented actress rather than as a prop for boy movies. Writing for "Entertainment Weekly", Owen Glieberman called Suzanne "a camp icon of celebrity psychosis". Kidman's portrayal paints Suzanne as more of a camp icon of celebrity psychotics, complete with the killer superficiality and manipulative glamour that makes television so alluring, but oh, so insidious. Her truly delicious performance makes you come away from To Die For with a sour yet satisfied taste in your mouth. You may not want to go out and shoot the nearest television, but you may think seriously the next time you're left alone in a room with one.

Programme note by Rebecca Flint
Placed online 31/10/96