Sofia Coppola Film That Captivated Lana Del Rey Revealed
The pop star's deep connection to one particular Coppola masterpiece explains the artistic bond between two creators who explore similar themes of youth, tragedy, and feminine vulnerability.
From the moment Lana Del Rey burst onto the music scene, critics and fans alike have drawn connections between her artistic vision and certain filmmakers who explore similar emotional territory. Among all the directors whose work seems to mirror her aesthetic, none has been more closely linked to the singer than Sofia Coppola.
A Shared Artistic Vision
The relationship between these two artists runs deeper than surface-level comparisons. Both women have built their careers examining the complex inner lives of young women navigating a world that often feels hostile to their dreams and desires. Del Rey's early work, released under her previous stage name Lizzy Grant, captured the same vulnerable yet rebellious spirit that defines Coppola's most memorable characters.
Songs from that era, including tracks like 'Put Me in a Movie', 'Jump', and 'Afraid', seem tailor-made for the kinds of characters Coppola brings to life on screen. There's an unmistakable thread connecting the emotional landscape of these songs to figures like Marie Antoinette, Priscilla, and Lux Lisbon - young women caught between innocence and experience, searching for meaning in a world that doesn't quite understand them.
The Film That Resonates Most
According to Vogue Italia, Del Rey has identified her favorite among Coppola's works: The Virgin Suicides, the director's 1999 debut feature. This choice makes perfect sense when you consider the film's exploration of themes that would later become central to Del Rey's musical identity.
The movie tells the story of the Lisbon sisters, particularly focusing on Lux, whose rebellion against her restrictive upbringing leads to increasingly desperate attempts at connection and freedom. One pivotal scene shows Lux abandoned on a football field in the early morning light after a night with Trip Fontaine, embodying the kind of beautiful melancholy that would later define much of Del Rey's Ultraviolence era.
Cinematic Songwriting
Del Rey herself has acknowledged the visual nature of her creative process, once explaining: "I think of my songs as if they were films. Flashbacks, cuts, memories, with a monologue that's running." This approach to songwriting helps explain why her work feels so naturally aligned with Coppola's filmmaking style.
Take a track like 'This Is What Makes Us Girls' - it's easy to imagine it playing over scenes of teenage rebellion and heartbreak in a Coppola film. The song captures that same mixture of glamour and tragedy, of youthful defiance tinged with inevitable sadness, that makes The Virgin Suicides such a powerful viewing experience.
The two artists nearly collaborated when Coppola approached Del Rey about contributing songs to her Priscilla biopic. Given Del Rey's well-documented fascination with Elvis Presley and the era he represented, it would have been a perfect match. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented the collaboration from happening, leaving fans to imagine what might have been.