Johnny Marco, a Hollywood actor, lives at the Chateau Marmont, drifting through drinks, pills and casual encounters. When his 11-year-old daughter Cleo comes to stay, he starts to see how empty his life is. Coppola holds her camera still and lets small moments carry the story.
At a glance
Somewhere is a 2010 drama film directed by Sofia Coppola. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (2 cinematography, 2 narrative and 1 psychology), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Brief Encounter uses several of the same techniques.
Fixing the camera in one position with no movement. What you learn comes only from what passes in front of it.
How this film uses it
The film opens on a fixed shot of a black Ferrari circling a desert track, roaring in and out of the frame. Nothing moves except the car, and it goes around again and again. The shot tells you everything about a life that loops with nowhere to go.
Where to see it
The opening. A Ferrari circles a desert track until it stops and Johnny steps out.
Watching events from a measured distance with no swelling music, tear-jerking close-ups or showy camera moves. The film trusts what happens to carry the weight on its own.
How this film uses it
Coppola watches Johnny at a distance without explaining him. Many scenes are quiet and uneventful, like him watching twin pole dancers perform in his room. You decide what the emptiness means.
Where to see it
The pole dancers. Two women perform in Johnny's room while he watches.
Filming in recognizable real places so the setting acts like part of the cast. Streets, buildings and landscapes shape the mood of the story.
How this film uses it
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.
Where to see it
The hotel stay. Johnny lives at the Marmont with a broken wrist in a cast.
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.
How this film uses it
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.
Where to see it
The phone call. Johnny calls his ex-wife and tearfully admits his inadequacies.
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.
How this film uses it
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.
Where to see it
The ending. Johnny leaves his Ferrari by the roadside and walks down the highway with a faint smile.
Questions
Side by side
Keep watching
Same director
Same era
