Stacy Lockwood, a cheerleader and the most popular girl at Santa Mira High School, is dead. She dies in hospital after a knife attack by another girl who fled in a car.
That's how "Death of a Cheerleader" (also known as "A Friend to die for") begins. Then there is a flashback, and we see Stacy and her friends 10 months earlier at the beginning of a new academic year at Santa Mira High School. "It is excellence", the high school principal tells the new students, "second-best is simply not good enough." Stacy, the spoilt daughter of rich parents, is one of those who manage "to be the best". She is queen bee and openly nasty to anyone she does not like, especially to Monica, a highly unpopular girl who wears black and has her hair dyed.
Another girl who doesn't fit is Angela Delvecchio. Angela adores Stacy and wants to be her friend. When Stacy rejects her and Angela is afraid to be humiliated in front of the whole school by the nasty girl, the good girl turns bad...
It is not a bad film. It is an important message against peer group pressure, and the acting is simply great. Kellie Martin is marvellous as a sweet, insecure 15-year-old who commits murder in the heat of the moment and is overcome with guilt and remorse afterwards.
Yet I cannot like this film.
As many have pointed out, the film is far too one-sided. Stacy's part is flat and one-dimensional, she is portrayed as a bitch without any redeeming qualities. That cannot be realistic – she cannot have been such a beast, otherwise she would not have had so many friends! This film would be great if the crew only had bothered to portray BOTH SIDES. But they didn't, and that's my problem – the film is one-sided, biased, unfair and manipulative.
The film is based on an article in Rolling Stones Magazine, written by Randall Sullivan in 1985. Sullivan admits that he identified with the killer and does not express any sympathy for the victim.
The girls' classmates graduated from high school in 1986 and celebrated their reunion in 2006 – I found a homepage about the celebration. Kirsten Costas is listed under "In Memory", but otherwise the "cheerleader murder" is not mentioned on that page. But have a look at "Find a grave". People leave notes like "I miss you" and "To this day, I can't get into a pool without thinking of you". It seems like Kirsten's friend still miss her, she cannot have been such an evil witch.
Kirsten Costas was only 15. Maybe she was a stupid bitch, but even if she had been the worst brat on earth – she didn't deserve to die. And she was entitled to dislike Bernadette and did not have any obligation to be her friend! Whatever she was like, she paid with her life and that price was far too high.
I found many comments that made me see red – I am horrified to see how readily people justify murder. Bloggers who do not even bother to spell the victim's name correctly – it was K-I-R-S-T-E-N, not Kristen or Krista – write things like "The victim is as guilty as the killer" and similar rubbish, and one even blames the victim's (!) parents and says they should have taught their daughter to treat others with kindness and respect! How do we know what Kirsten's parents taught their daughter?
Bernadette had no right to kill Kirsten – whatever provocation she had does not excuse what she did.
Don't forget that we only know Bernadette's side of the story. Kirsten cannot tell hers, anyone can say what they like about her because she is not alive to defend herself. But Kirsten Costas' parents did not believe Bernadette's story and neither do I. Bernadette was casually dressed and could not tell authorities to what party she wanted to invite Kirsten. She lured Kirsten out under false pretences and had a knife – that sounds very much like planned murder.
In the film, the killer is called a "confused and desperate child". But the victim was a child as well – and I guess she was "confused and desperate", too, when she felt the knife penetrating her lungs and liver and when she was bleeding to death! I totally agree with the FBI man who (in the film) says "Feel sorry for the girl she killed!" Bernadette turned herself in – but she only did so after the FBI had figured out that she was the killer. Before her confession, she deceived everyone for six months – and allowed the blame to rest on others.
The worst scene in the film is the one showing the Delvecchio family having a celebration shortly before Christmas. They thoroughly enjoy themselves – with the exception of Angela, of course, who knows that the FBI figured out that she did it. Why doesn't the film show the Lockwoods' first Christmas without their daughter? I'm sure it was horrible – they must have missed her terribly... The film does not quote Berit Costas' words she said in court, so I will quote them: "My heart is empty. I ache. I'm half a person." Kirsten's parents were shattered with grief and they probably still are...
But the most moving comment I found was made by the Costas' neighbour's son who saw Kirsten die: "I was there that night. I saw Kirsten's blood squirting all over my father as she struggled to breathe. She knew she was dying and the horror on her face as she bled out before us was something none of us will ever forget."
Rest in peace, Kirsten. I'm on your side.
That's how "Death of a Cheerleader" (also known as "A Friend to die for") begins. Then there is a flashback, and we see Stacy and her friends 10 months earlier at the beginning of a new academic year at Santa Mira High School. "It is excellence", the high school principal tells the new students, "second-best is simply not good enough." Stacy, the spoilt daughter of rich parents, is one of those who manage "to be the best". She is queen bee and openly nasty to anyone she does not like, especially to Monica, a highly unpopular girl who wears black and has her hair dyed.
Another girl who doesn't fit is Angela Delvecchio. Angela adores Stacy and wants to be her friend. When Stacy rejects her and Angela is afraid to be humiliated in front of the whole school by the nasty girl, the good girl turns bad...
It is not a bad film. It is an important message against peer group pressure, and the acting is simply great. Kellie Martin is marvellous as a sweet, insecure 15-year-old who commits murder in the heat of the moment and is overcome with guilt and remorse afterwards.
Yet I cannot like this film.
As many have pointed out, the film is far too one-sided. Stacy's part is flat and one-dimensional, she is portrayed as a bitch without any redeeming qualities. That cannot be realistic – she cannot have been such a beast, otherwise she would not have had so many friends! This film would be great if the crew only had bothered to portray BOTH SIDES. But they didn't, and that's my problem – the film is one-sided, biased, unfair and manipulative.
The film is based on an article in Rolling Stones Magazine, written by Randall Sullivan in 1985. Sullivan admits that he identified with the killer and does not express any sympathy for the victim.
The girls' classmates graduated from high school in 1986 and celebrated their reunion in 2006 – I found a homepage about the celebration. Kirsten Costas is listed under "In Memory", but otherwise the "cheerleader murder" is not mentioned on that page. But have a look at "Find a grave". People leave notes like "I miss you" and "To this day, I can't get into a pool without thinking of you". It seems like Kirsten's friend still miss her, she cannot have been such an evil witch.
Kirsten Costas was only 15. Maybe she was a stupid bitch, but even if she had been the worst brat on earth – she didn't deserve to die. And she was entitled to dislike Bernadette and did not have any obligation to be her friend! Whatever she was like, she paid with her life and that price was far too high.
I found many comments that made me see red – I am horrified to see how readily people justify murder. Bloggers who do not even bother to spell the victim's name correctly – it was K-I-R-S-T-E-N, not Kristen or Krista – write things like "The victim is as guilty as the killer" and similar rubbish, and one even blames the victim's (!) parents and says they should have taught their daughter to treat others with kindness and respect! How do we know what Kirsten's parents taught their daughter?
Bernadette had no right to kill Kirsten – whatever provocation she had does not excuse what she did.
Don't forget that we only know Bernadette's side of the story. Kirsten cannot tell hers, anyone can say what they like about her because she is not alive to defend herself. But Kirsten Costas' parents did not believe Bernadette's story and neither do I. Bernadette was casually dressed and could not tell authorities to what party she wanted to invite Kirsten. She lured Kirsten out under false pretences and had a knife – that sounds very much like planned murder.
In the film, the killer is called a "confused and desperate child". But the victim was a child as well – and I guess she was "confused and desperate", too, when she felt the knife penetrating her lungs and liver and when she was bleeding to death! I totally agree with the FBI man who (in the film) says "Feel sorry for the girl she killed!" Bernadette turned herself in – but she only did so after the FBI had figured out that she was the killer. Before her confession, she deceived everyone for six months – and allowed the blame to rest on others.
The worst scene in the film is the one showing the Delvecchio family having a celebration shortly before Christmas. They thoroughly enjoy themselves – with the exception of Angela, of course, who knows that the FBI figured out that she did it. Why doesn't the film show the Lockwoods' first Christmas without their daughter? I'm sure it was horrible – they must have missed her terribly... The film does not quote Berit Costas' words she said in court, so I will quote them: "My heart is empty. I ache. I'm half a person." Kirsten's parents were shattered with grief and they probably still are...
But the most moving comment I found was made by the Costas' neighbour's son who saw Kirsten die: "I was there that night. I saw Kirsten's blood squirting all over my father as she struggled to breathe. She knew she was dying and the horror on her face as she bled out before us was something none of us will ever forget."
Rest in peace, Kirsten. I'm on your side.