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Film: Sofia Coppola's brilliant first ever short film Lick The Star made back in 1998

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Date
2 September 2013

A joy for all Sofia Coppola fans here in the form of Lick The Star, her debut film made back in 1998. The film is a 14 minute black and white tale of a gang of high school girls who, after becoming obsessed by Virginia Andrews’ cult novel Flowers in the Attic, plan to use rat poison to kill the boys in the school they dislike. The interesting thing about this short is that it is absolutely chock full of nods to Coppola’s later works, for instance the humour, the way the girls are shot, and the adolescent, dreamy, relaxed pace of it all. The opening scene of her debut shows the lead girl being driven along in a car – a running theme that has remained in almost every single opening scene in her films since.

A person in a light-coloured shirt and skirt stands looking towards the camera. In the blurred foreground, another person walks past them carrying a dark backpack.
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Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

A black and white portrait of a person wearing a tiara, a necklace and dark lipstick. They look towards the camera with a slight smile.
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Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

A person stands before a blackboard, looking down at a piece of paper in their hands. Cursive text on the board reads “What is Beautif”.
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Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

A black and white film still of two people. In the foreground, a person with their hair tied back looks thoughtfully to the side. Behind them, another person watches with a serious expression.
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Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

A black and white close-up of a person looking directly at the camera with a slight smile. They have dark, curly hair tied in braids and wear small drop earrings.
Above

Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

Three children stand together in a black and white scene. The person in the centre holds a tray of food while talking to the other two.
Above

Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

Two people stand side by side in a black and white shot, looking off-camera with serious expressions. One wears a dark polo shirt, while the other wears a checked shirt.
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Sofia Coppola: Lick the Star, 1998

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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