''Lick the Star'' is a 14-minute-long black and white 16mm

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, and the first film written and directed by

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

. The film is included as a bonus feature on the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

for the film ''HOP'' from Film Movement. It was also included as a bonus feature on the 2018 Criterion Collection release of ''

The Virgin Suicides ''The Virgin Suicides'' is a 1993 debut novel by the American author Jeffrey Eugenides. The fictional story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the lives of five doomed sisters, the Lisbon girls. The novel is w ...

''.

Plot

Kate has been absent from seventh grade for a week due to a broken foot. She frets about returning, as she knows how quickly things can change during junior high, and wonders what she has missed. Upon arriving, she learns her

clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

of friends, led by

queen bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female ( gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...

Chloe, have developed a catchphrase: "lick the star." The phrase holds mysterious significance to the group, but Kate's absence left her out of the loop, just as she feared. That afternoon, Chloe and the others reveal to Kate that "lick the star" is "kill the rats" backwards, the codename of their plan to use

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, ...

to poison boys at their school, inspired by Chloe's obsession with the book ''

Flowers in the Attic ''Flowers in the Attic'' is a 1979 Gothic novel by V. C. Andrews. It is the first book in the Dollanganger Series, and was followed by '' Petals on the Wind'', '' If There Be Thorns'', '' Seeds of Yesterday'', '' Garden of Shadows'', '' Christop ...

''. The girls shoplift rat poison and break into the targeted boys' lockers to contaminate their lunches, then hide behind the bleachers for secret "lick the star" meetings. During one such meeting, Kate is caught by a teacher while holding Chloe's cigarette, leading to Kate being suspended and another extended absence from school. While Kate is gone, Chloe learns about

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in history class. On the bus after school, she expresses astonishment at the idea that her Black friend Nadine would have once been considered a slave. A case of broken telephone distorts the poorly phrased but innocent remark until the entire school believes Chloe is racist. In despair, Chloe attempts suicide, but her failed effort only provides more gossip for her classmates. Returning to school after the suicide attempt, Chloe finds her former friends have revealed the "lick the star" plot to the other students, leading to further ridicule. Kate returns to school to discover that the entire social hierarchy has shifted: the once-powerful Chloe is now an outcast and the girls Chloe previously bullied no longer fear her. Kate realizes she can no longer be seen with Chloe or she, too, will be ostracized. Kate watches from a distance as Chloe, sitting by herself, writes a short poem about how quickly things change. Chloe tucks the poem into the book that appears to be her new obsession—''An American Biography'' (the biography of model

Edie Sedgwick Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post (April 20, 1943 – November 16, 1971) was an American actress and fashion model, known for being one of Andy Warhol's superstars.Watson, Steven (2003), "Factory Made: Warhol and the Sixties" Pantheon Books, pp. 210& ...

) by

Jean Stein Jean Babette Stein (February 9, 1934 – April 30, 2017) was an American author and editor. Early life Stein was born to a Jewish family in Chicago. Her father was Jules C. Stein (1896–1981), co-founder of the Music Corporation of America (M ...

—before she walks away alone.

Production

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

appears in a cameo as the Principal. The

director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

was

Lance Acord Lance Acord (born September 9, 1964) A.S.C.American Society of Cinematographers.

. Coppola's own eye appears in one dream-like shot. The film's themes also appear in Coppola's later work, such as the feelings of isolation; in addition, the film begins with a car journey, just like her later films ''

'', '' Lost in Translation'', and '' Somewhere''.

Soundtrack

#"Tipp City" – The Amps #"Top 40" – Free Kitten #"Bouwerie Boy" – Free Kitten #"This Town" –

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

#"Eat Cake" – Free Kitten #"Heidi Cakes" – Land of the Loops

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lick The Star Films directed by Sofia Coppola 1998 films American black-and-white films American short films Films with screenplays by Sofia Coppola 1990s English-language films