To Die For (1995)

To Die For (1995)

In director Gus Van Sant's thriller and media satire, it was based, in part, on a real-life relationship and notorious incident in New Hampshire between a teacher (Pamela Smart) and her young lover/student (who was seduced into murdering the teacher's husband).

• the main character, Suzanne Stone Maretto (Nicole Kidman), was effectively portrayed as a ruthless, manipulative and icy blonde New Hampshire local WWEN-TV weathercaster, (known as "The Blonde Temptress" or "The Ice Maiden"); she memorably believed:
  • "You aren't really anybody in America if you're not on TV"
• the father of her murdered husband Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon) - Italian-American Joe Maretto (Dan Hedaya) (with Mafia connections) - sought revenge for Suzanne's successful plotting to kill his bartender son Larry; he hired a hitman to do the job
• in a memorable sequence, Suzanne danced in the rain to the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama"
• Suzanne gave a taped interview when she defended the use of her maiden name for professional reasons
• sociopathic Suzanne seduced a local deliquent high-school student named Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix) to commit the deadly deed, to eliminate Larry; her twisted reasoning was because Larry was stifling Suzanne's career ambitions and insisting that she quit her job, help with Larry's family restaurant, and start a family
• Suzanne enticed Jimmy by promising a future life with Jimmy in California, and claiming that Larry was an abusive husband; Jimmy and fellow-delinquent Russell Hines (Casey Affleck) broke into the Maretto home, where Jimmy was the one to pull the trigger; it was their first anniversary
• her trial was viewed in flashback - told Rashomon-style; although Suzanne was brought to trial and there was taped evidence of her confessing to the crime, she walked free when police were accused of wire-tapping and entrapment; Larry's father became enraged when Suzanne fabricated lies about Larry becoming a cocaine addict, and that he was murdered by his teenaged HS drug-dealers; nonetheless, the two teens were charged with the killing - Jimmy was sentenced to a term of life in prison plus 30 years; Russell took a plea deal and his sentence was reduced to 16 years
• a contract-killer hitman (David Cronenberg in a cameo role, credited as "Man at the Lake") lured Suzanne to follow him by pretending to be a "Hollywood producer"; Suzanne was led to the surface of a frozen pond (and killed off-screen); she was later seen dead in a lingering closeup under the ice of a frozen pond where she was deposited after the murder

• in an ironic scene immediately before the rolling end credits, Larry's sister Janice (Illeana Douglas) practiced her figure skating (twirls and pirouettes for the Ice Follies) on the frozen lake (above the location of the frozen body and literally 'dancing on her grave') to the tune of Donovan's "The Season of the Witch."