Made in Hollywood

A glimmer of hope in the void. You broke my heart again, Sofia... This time, something I'm used to looking for in the contemplative offshoots of European cinema – perfectly pure emotions that are not contaminated with words and foggy symbols. Angelic beings in the middle of emptiness, poetic non-speech, distilled laconism of cinematic speech. Why look for words when others wrote it before me: detached heartbreak. You don't forget that! (2011.04.15)

I can already see a lot of people seeking (or worse, finding) a deep well of wisdom here, which is really off the mark. Somewhere is a simple, pretty nice, atmospheric, and also sinfully pointless film. The ostentatious indie format really pissed me off at first, but then I forced myself to get used to it because I realised that the film is not worth the stress. Stephen Dorff’s performance is nice, but not Oscar-worthy. 6/10 (2010.12.22)

I'm wondering which of the new (i.e., made in the last couple of years) and so-called ordinary films impressed me as much as Somewhere. No matter how hard I search, I still can't find a film that is so seemingly mundane and uninteresting, yet so incredibly true, profound and telling. Not much is said in Somewhere, but also more than enough. One look at Stephen Dorff and it's clear what's going through his mind. The film draws us into his world from the very beginning, alternating between moments of "fame" and moments of its flip side, and just when we kind of know who this successful actor is, his daughter (the excellent Elle Fanning) enters the scene. I don't know what it was, but I wished he would talk to her as much as possible, I was glad for any hint that he had feelings for the little girl, and after every word that was exchanged with even a little bit of interest, I let out a little sigh. And when the main character finally admitted (in two simple sentences, but all the more harsh) who he was, I was completely relieved. Sofia Coppola has an unusually lucky hand when it comes to her choice of themes, which she also manages to handle absolutely brilliantly... That brings me to the answer to the opening question - the last film that had this effect on me was probably called Lost in Translation. (2012.03.04)

It is necessary to experience Somewhere – even at the cost of being bored at times. At the same time, you have to find a reason to immerse yourself in a film with a character like Johnny Marco. I think that I found the reason approximately ten seconds before the end. But I’m not sure about that. (2011.04.01)