Somewhere
Directed by:
Sofia CoppolaScreenplay:
Sofia CoppolaCinematography:
Harris SavidesCast:
Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Ramsey, Becky O'Donohue, Alexander Nevsky, Laura Chiatti, Michelle Monaghan, Jennifer Sky (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
An intimate story set in contemporary Los Angeles, Somewhere is a witty, moving and empathetic look into the orbit of Hollywood actor Johnny Marco (played by Stephen Dorff). We join Marco as he stumbles through a life of excess, living out of the legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel; he has a Ferrari to drive around in, and a constant stream of girls and pills to stay in with. Comfortably numbed, Johnny drifts along. Following an unexpected visit from his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (played wonderfully by Elle Fanning), their encounters encourage Johnny to face up to where he is with life, and confront the question that at some point we all must; which path in life will you take? Filmed entirely on location, Somewhere reunites Sofia Coppola with her Lost in Translation editor Sarah Flack and production designer Anne Ross. Sofia's brother Roman Coppola takes on the role of producer, whilst her father Francis Ford Coppola is executive producer. The films atmospheric soundtrack is written by Grammy Award winning French band “Phoenix”. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (3)
I can already see a lot of people seeking (or worse, finding) a deep well of wisdom here, which is really off the mark. Somewhere is a simple, pretty nice, atmospheric, and also sinfully pointless film. The ostentatious indie format really pissed me off at first, but then I forced myself to get used to it because I realised that the film is not worth the stress. Stephen Dorff’s performance is nice, but not Oscar-worthy. 6/10
()
A glimmer of hope in the void. You broke my heart again, Sofia... This time, something I'm used to looking for in the contemplative offshoots of European cinema – perfectly pure emotions that are not contaminated with words and foggy symbols. Angelic beings in the middle of emptiness, poetic non-speech, distilled laconism of cinematic speech. Why look for words when others wrote it before me: detached heartbreak. You don't forget that!
()
I'm wondering which of the new (i.e., made in the last couple of years) and so-called ordinary films impressed me as much as Somewhere. No matter how hard I search, I still can't find a film that is so seemingly mundane and uninteresting, yet so incredibly true, profound and telling. Not much is said in Somewhere, but also more than enough. One look at Stephen Dorff and it's clear what's going through his mind. The film draws us into his world from the very beginning, alternating between moments of "fame" and moments of its flip side, and just when we kind of know who this successful actor is, his daughter (the excellent Elle Fanning) enters the scene. I don't know what it was, but I wished he would talk to her as much as possible, I was glad for any hint that he had feelings for the little girl, and after every word that was exchanged with even a little bit of interest, I let out a little sigh. And when the main character finally admitted (in two simple sentences, but all the more harsh) who he was, I was completely relieved. Sofia Coppola has an unusually lucky hand when it comes to her choice of themes, which she also manages to handle absolutely brilliantly... That brings me to the answer to the opening question - the last film that had this effect on me was probably called Lost in Translation.
()