Somewhere merits its own film genre. Not really a drama, not quite a comedy; more a character study than an actual moving plot. Consequently, it’s limited to being charming and not much more. Post-modern Minimalist? Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s closer to half of a film than the whole thing.
In many ways, it is a sequel to Lost in Translation. Stephen Dorff plays an irrelevant actor who lives in a hotel. Oddly, he is much more popular abroad than in the United States. The actor, Johnny Marco alternates between relishing the absurdity of his situation and expending the least effort possible. Is this the life shared by all celebrities or simply those who are past their prime? When he must care for his daughter for a period of time, he realizes how empty his life has become and begins to year for a change.
Sofia Coppola uses countless fixed angle shots to chronicle Marco’s existence. Metaphors such as driving around in circles, lying around, and standing still abound. If anything, Coppola pushes the limits of this style by holding the shots for a very long while before fading out or executing a blast cut. The net effect is that audience members fulfill the role of observers and gawkers much more than usual, which based on how modern life seems to operate these days is not much of a stretch. **½