Review of Somewhere (2010) by Rafæl M — 25 May 2011

8.2/10.

I read reviews for "Somewhere" that often ranged from discouraging to high-praise. It makes me worry when I find a film such as this one; a film which some love, and some just plain hate. But I had to see it. It was directed by Sophia Coppola, who made "Lost in Translation"; one of my favorite films. "Somewhere" does not come anywhere near the quality and sweet sentimentality of "Lost in Translation", but as a follow-up to the equally-as-whimsical "Marie Antoinette", it's a pretty damn satisfying work.

I understand the criticism. People will say that the film "drags on for much too long" and it is "boring". Maybe they are right. Maybe "Somewhere" is boring. Maybe it does drag on for longer than most films care to. I'm willing to admit to all of these things; but I'm also willing to admit to my sneaky admiration for the picture. It will divide audiences for sure, but I find a certain beauty and appeal to "Somewhere", warts and all.

What I find preposterous is when people say it's "one of the worst films they have ever seen". When I hear these ridiculous comments, I can't help but wonder how long these people have been "watching movies". You need to be open-minded to enjoy "Somewhere"; a mercilessly slow-paced and observant film that does things without even moving. I think that the people who absolutely hate, hate, HATE the movie have been watching too much Hollywood features. But of course, they deny enjoying those ones too.

Johnny (Stephen Dorff) is an actor. He has wealth. He's a womanizer. His life-style itself is seductive, he gets to stay in cool places, and he's content as far as he knows. He also has a daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), who doesn't see him much (probably due to his life-style). Johnny doesn't know what it's like to raise a child, which is probably why he separated from Cleo's mother. There's also a chance that he doesn't know how to raise himself.

Cleo comes to stay with Johnny after her mother "goes away for a while"...somewhere. Johnny and Cleo are very much acquainted, but not in the sense that they could have a real, human relationship. However, Johnny, feeling a bit melancholic and empty, agrees to take Cleo with him on trips, to award shows, and wherever else his exploits may take him. And right there, you have the entire film.

Now this is art. "Somewhere" explores a cinematic style that is seldom touched upon; the approach of using one-shot for several minutes-to-several seconds, the approach which requires a slow pace and lots of observation. But suppose you are as observant as "Somewhere" is. If you are, then it is for you.

Fanning and Dorff do exceptionally well in their roles; Dorff being mildly sympathetic for most of the film, while Fanning gets along by just playing a perfectly believable pre-teen. Some call the characters "undeveloped" and "unrelatable", and thus they cannot sympathize for them. But few deny that the performances here are very worthwhile, because acting is one thing that is too often beyond opinion.

The visual style is hypnotic; and adds a layer that "Somewhere" really needed. However, what really had me sticking with the flick was the portrayal of an actor's life-style; and this film serves as one of the deepest (if not bleakest) on-screen depictions of the former. "Somewhere" desires to be a film which exists not to entertain, not to please, but to stimulate the viewer in a number of intellectual ways. I don't think that the people who dislike the film are the dumb ones; the dumb ones are the ones who can't stand it to the point where, say, they'd claim it's one of the worst things out there. It's not. Its art; a work of it, and a product of a woman who knows how to use a movie-camera for great purposes. "Somewhere" is provocative and challenging; not for everyone, not for a good number of people, but interesting and captivating none-the-less. Do I recommend it? Well, that's for some other day.