Coppolas

Lost In Translation

Mainstream

There’s been an awful lot of male directors (🤢) on this blog (🤢) lately, and this is partly due to the fact that men have a monopoly on the film industry, and on society in general. Men populate about 66% of the film industry, while women account for 34%—an abysmal statistic made possible by years of existing and working under the patriarchy. Some of my favorite pieces of cinema have been created by women, though, and a good deal of them are a part of Sofia Coppola’s filmography. I’ve never met a Coppola film I didn’t like, in fact, until I saw Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto—but I’ll get into that in a moment. Sofia has created nothing but memorable, culture-making cinema throughout her career, from The Virgin Suicides to Marie Antoinette to The Bling Ring to the (underrated) The Beguiled—to tonight’s film Lost In Translation. This film is often seen as Sofia Coppola’s love letter to her former husband Spike Jonze, and his 2013 film Her, is thought to be his love letter back. Both films tell the stories of undeniably genuine, but ultimately impossible love affairs, with solemn yet peaceful tones. These are both films about lonely people finding people, and connecting with them—even if just for a little while. Eerily enough, both films also star Scarlett Johansson... ScarJo isn’t getting the best press right now but you’ll have to forgive me, she made this film before she sued Disney for not getting enough money and before she portrayed a Japanese character and before she defended Woody Allen. Bill Murray isn’t even getting good press right now… so I’m just gonna try to avoid both of them. If there’s one thing the Coppola’s know how to do (and I’m including Francis Ford, Sofia, Gia, and Nicholas Cage in this) it’s create an immersive, distinct experience. Lost In Translation quietly but effectively pulls you into a moment in time, where everyday life is romanticized and mythicized to a level that makes your stupid, boring life feel a little more special. Even though I kinda feel like Sofia Coppola is on her Woody Allen shit here, she never makes the relationship between these characters feel creepy or ill-intentioned. There’s a chemistry and an ease to to their interactions, and they seem to heal one another along the way. There were some unfortunate moments—and I’m not just referring to the jazzy, sultry, downright sexual cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair—the gawking at Japanese culture and the questionable representations of Japanese people in general. And while the calmness and bittersweetness of this movie is profoundly felt, so is an overall sense of white-girl-who-studied-abroad-and-won’t-stop-talking-about-it. Compared to the rest of the films on Sofia’s truly iconic resumé, Lost In Translation falls at the bottom spot for me—but its signature Sofia Coppola intimacy is intoxicating. Plus, Anna Faris is in this movie and is phenomenal? Why aren’t more people talking about this? Moving on to Mainstream, Gia Coppola’s latest film, a very, very different vibe is felt. Gia’s first film, an adaptation of James Franco’s book, Palo Alto is famously not my favorite, but if there’s one thing Gia (and Sofia) are gonna do, it’s give you an impeccable soundtrack (the one saving grace in Palo Alto). Classically partnered with Blood Orange’s Devonte Hynes, Gia created a literal perfect playlist—and a legitimately good movie as well. Mainstream isn’t the first wannabe noir film set in Los Angeles starring Andrew Garfield that we’ve viewed on Double Feature Thursday, but it certainly is the best one. I’ll be honest, I was so bothered by Palo Alto that I was really worried that this wouldn’t be good. But Mainstream very cleverly told its tale of vanity and obsession, and miraculously, it did not piss me off—it kinda blew me away. Maya Hawke was an endearing and likable protagonist, Nat Wolff was rightfully not cast as a racist (I mean is James Franco or Gia Coppola responsible for the use of the n-word in Palo Alto?), and Andrew Garfield was superbly psychotic, in a performance that better earn him at least one nomination. “You gotta be dumb to be smart” says Garfield’s character “Link”, and he’s absolutely right. This film tells the story of the rise, fall, and evolution of an influencer, but it’s also about the understandable desire to make art that makes people feel things, and the rightful desire to make a living off of it. In an era where vloggers are royalty and YouTube is god, Mainstream created a twisted, completely plausible narrative that really captured the misguided goals of the content creators that rule this generation. Influencers have a lot to say, and yet most of the time, they’re saying quite literally nothing, and it really felt like this fact was at the core of this film. With the help of Jason Schwartzman, Casey Frey, Alexa Demie, Jake Paul, Patrick Starr and Johnny Knoxville, this movie was a biting but still fun callout of the culture of the internet and the standards we stoop to. In a perfect follow up to last week’s viewing of Videodrome, Mainstream makes us question who the real bad guy is: the people creating a pipeline of toxicity, or the people who willfully consume it? But on top of this striking message are just some brilliant moments including, but not limited to, Casey Frey dancing and Maya Hawke and Andrew Garfield making out to King Princess. It’s an exciting, albeit unexpected, triumph for Gia, who may have finally found her filmic footing.