New York Times A.O. Scott on Somewhere: "Something Marvelous"

The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott recent review of Sofia Coppola’s new film Somewhere provides fascinating insight. In his review, Scott not only praises the film and filmmaker (a lot) but provides one of the most eloquent and articulate takes on Coppola’s unique cinematic style. Here Scott explains the subtle and “marvelous” way that Coppola modulates her film’s emotional tone:

What happens is something marvelous: a film that never raises its voice (its loudest and most assertive sound is that Ferrari) or panders to your emotions, but that nonetheless has the power to refresh your perceptions and deepen your sympathies. As it proceeds from one careful, watchful, slow shot to the next, a sad and affecting story emerges, about a father’s loneliness and a daughter’s devotion. But the experience of watching “Somewhere,” shot in lovely tones of Southern California haze by the great Harris Savides, is like reading a poem. The scenes play off one another like stanzas, producing patterns and echoes that feel like the camera’s accidental discoveries, even as they are the surest evidence of Ms. Coppola’s formidable and subtle art.