Two words come to mind when you watch this movie: ennui and metamorphosis. In order for you to get your a-ha moment, you need your spark. What was Johnny Marco’s spark? His eleven-year old daughter, Cleo.

Sofia Coppola, daughter of famous director Francis Ford Coppola, recreated the cliche plot of the rediscovery of the ‘father-daughter’s lost bond’ by adding some modernity and intellectuality. “Somewhere” is a movie that focuses on the so-called glamourous exterior life of celebrities and the reality of it all.

The protagonist, Johnny Marco, finally succeeding in life after a failed marriage, manages to score big after getting a debut in a major blockbuster film, Berlin Agenda. Despite his instant rise to fame, Marco is unable to experience any meaning in his life. This drives him to seek comfort in a party-animal lifestyle, that is, until Cleo’s sudden appearance. Much like a butterfly coming out of its’ cocoon, he finally awakens to reality.

The movie is set in Chateau Marmont, the iconic hotel where John Belushi had his final binge, where Johnny spends his days, wandering aimlessly. Using his Hollywood bad boy charm, Marco takes full advantage of his perks and beds every woman that throws herself at him. Though in regular company, Marco was emotionally lonely. Coppola was able to capture the sense of his solitude and seclusion from regular socialization with the use of repetition of scenes very uniquely. Although very charming, one might find the first quarter of the movie very slow, in terms of the progression of the plot.

In addition to that, the lack of conversation in the first quarter of the movie may bore the action or comedy enthusiasts, but the role of the silence is to make the audience experience the excruciating actuality of Marco’s life; a semi-drunk, which depicts his character as the moron that everyone knows.

Another flaw one might also point out is the awkward transitions, where the estranged mother decides to have a breakdown and dumps her daughter with the father. This might come as a shock to the audience, but as the movie slowly progresses, the emotion Coppola was trying to depict slowly shows itself. The bond between the father and daughter strengthens when duty calls, and Marco finds himself in Milan for his premiere, not forgetting to bring his daughter along. During this journey, they embark on their own personal growths and although initially awkward, they were determined and eventually, patched things up between them.

Though the movie is deemed serious, Coppola didn’t sacrifice any comedy in this movie. Marco was also shown taking a mould of his face for his next movie role, and left to dry himself, hence enhancing his loneliness.

What is the moral of the story, you might ask? Never giving up. Johnny Marco grew up and accepted his responsibility as an adult. An escape from the norm was the breakthrough in his life, and all he needed to keep doing was just ask Cleo ‘how she was doing’.

Rating: 6.5/10