I can think of few people better than Sofia Coppola to produce an autobiographical commentary on Hollywood. From her experiences as a little girl and then later a young actress on the sets of her father’s movies, Coppola finds herself able to bring into her stories the reality of life behind ‘celebrity,’ much as she did in the fabulous ‘Lost in Translation.’ Coppola grew up with a front row seat of various celebrities at the pinnacle of their careers, and brings her sharp and nuanced observations into play in all her work, just as she has done here in ‘Somewhere.’
Coppola’s message is simple: Fame (much like money or other forms of outward ‘success’) won’t give your life meaning. These things won’t bring you substance, depth or provide any lasting joy. In fact, just the opposite, they will leave you constantly hungry for more, always needing another quick fix of nothing. In ‘Somewhere,’ Stephen Dorff plays the American actor Johnny Marco, and he is the ultimate hollow man. His life is much like the archetypal couch potato lying in front of the TV eating crisps, except Johnny languishes on a celebrity sofa of emptiness, watching movies of himself doing nothing, while consuming endless amounts of money and sex. The reality of his tragic inner nothingness is superbly communicated in an opening scene that depicts him driving his black Ferrari in monotonous circles around a racing track. He has the car, but he has nowhere real to drive to, and his self-absorption has rendered him incapable of being able to share the joy of the moment with others.
Johnny Marco’s life has very little, if any, meaning and Coppola communicates this message through the use of a technique I call ‘savage boredom.’ By ‘savage’ I mean she ruthlessly shows up the complete banality of people like Johnny, but she does this through allowing us to share in his boredom. Johnny spends much of his time wondering what to do next, staring at walls, while the camera stares back at him. Some people are afraid of silences in conversation, but Coppola is completely unafraid of similar awkward silences in movies - moments of sheer nothingness that actually say far more than any sermonising would.
However, ‘Somewhere’ is not just a dark glimpse into Hollywood, but is also a beautiful picture of redemption. Johnny’s redemptive opportunity comes when he is forced into a real relationship with his 11-year old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning). Slowly, slowly Johnny starts to awaken to meaning as he grapples with looking after someone other than himself. Johnny is almost completely dead to life, emotionally and spiritually he is nothing but a zombie, even sex is just a mindless manipulation of genitals. But his relationship with Elle slowly breathes life back into him. Not perfectly, and not all at once, but gradually Johnny awakens, and starts to turn his life in a direction that will actually take him somewhere.
Relationship is eventually what saves Johnny, yet thankfully Coppola depicts this without sentimentality or twee neatness. The growing meaning his daughter brings him is not Johnny’s salvation, but rather it is a catalyst moment, an opportunity to launch himself in new directions. Johnny’s car is constantly symbolic throughout the story, and is used again by Coppola in the final scene as she shows him walking away from the vehicle, as if to say that he has finally had enough of nothing and nowhere.
‘Somewhere’ has an undeniable charm, with strong yet understated acting, and striking visuals and cinematography. It is not the most entertaining movie to watch, in fact, frankly speaking, it can even be a little boring at times. Yet, as already mentioned, the ‘boring’ parts are intentionally structured in, and by including them Coppola shows the courage of her convictions. Boring at times it may be, yet strangely enough ‘Somewhere’ will not let go of you once you have walked out of the cinema. It’s message gnaws away, asking you to assess the ‘movie’ of your own life, to investigate your particular story and whether you are also just going through the motions, less spectacularly than Johnny perhaps, but no less emptily. In the end, Coppola’s final scene of hope is angled just right - Johnny’s redemption is at hand, but the decision of living with more meaning and purpose is one he will need to make everyday. And so will we.
Three and a half stars for ‘Somewhere’. Please note that 13 age restriction is well earned with plenty of nudity, sex and bad language.