Comparison · 3 shared techniques

Brief Encounter vs Somewhere

Brief Encounter (1945) and Somewhere (2010) share 3 techniques. Here is how each film uses them.

Brief Encounter (1945) poster

Brief Encounter

David Lean · 1945

Somewhere (2010) poster

Somewhere

Sofia Coppola · 2010

Shared

Same technique, two films

Real Locations as Character

Filming in recognizable real places so the setting acts like part of the cast. Streets, buildings and landscapes shape the mood of the story.

Brief Encounter

Much of the film was shot at Carnforth station in Lancashire. The platforms, the bridge and the steam trains give the story an ordinary, everyday setting. The station is where all the feeling is stored.

Somewhere

The Chateau Marmont is a real Hollywood hotel, and the film treats it like a home. The halls and suites hold the loneliness of a man with money and nowhere to go. The place has a history of its own.

Repressed Emotion

Showing a character who holds feelings down until they leak out or burst. The performance lives in what is withheld, and the release lands harder for the wait.

Brief Encounter

Laura and Alec say little and stay polite even when they are falling apart. What they hold back is what you notice. A held look says more than a speech would.

Somewhere

Johnny hides his sadness through most of the film. It comes out only after Cleo leaves, when he calls his ex-wife and breaks down. The late release lands harder because he held it for so long.

Circular Structure

Ending the film where it started, or with a scene that echoes the opening. The repeat shows what has changed, or suggests the cycle will keep going.

Brief Encounter

The film opens in the station refreshment room and returns to the same scene at the end. The first time, you see only an awkward interruption. The second time, you know what it cost.

Somewhere

The film begins with a car going nowhere and ends with Johnny leaving the Ferrari on the side of the road and walking away. The echo shows what has changed. This time he gets out of the loop.

Different

Where they split