Musings On... Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors, her films have a timeless elegance and a calm solemness which is beautiful and soothing. Coppola is the daughter of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, and this is apparent in her films, Coppola spent much of her childhood growing up in hotels, and thus many of her films deal with youth and loneliness. Both Somewhere and Lost in Translation are set in hotels, and deal with the isolation and shut off reality of hotels. Coppola also grew up in a privileged environment, and her films deal with this also.

One of the main themes discussed in her films is that of isolation, The Virgin Suicides is about five sisters who are isolated from society by their mother after one of them commits suicide. The film explores the cost of their isolation, and their loneliness. Her second picture deals with the same themes, and is the story of two tourists who meet in a hotel in Tokyo, and who form an unusual bond. The milieu of the hotel is an expression of their loneliness, as it is a world cut off from reality, and both the characters are lonely and lost in their marriages. Somewhere also deals with loneliness, much in the same way as Lost in Translation.

Other themes discussed in her works are ennui, which is discussed in Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation and Somewhere, all these films deal with characters who feel despondent and uninterested with life. Her films also deal with characters who are often wealthy and privileged, but who gain little pleasure in their lives, and who feel like their loves are worthless, Marie Antoinette deals with this especially, as Antoine is rich and lives in a palace, yet she longs for a simple life, and loathes the pretense and lavish lifestyle of Versaillles. The Bling Ring stands out among Coppola's works, and it deals with a group of young people who are obsessed with fame and fortune, who long for riches and celebrity, and who steal from those they idolize.

Coppola is a true auteur, her films are highly personal, she wrote all of them, and they are highly inspired by her own life, childhood and experiences, her films mainly deal with loneliness, isolation and solitude, her films are visually stunning and poignant and are of particular significance to me.

Musings on...Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham is an actress, writer, producer and director who since 2012 has directed, produced, written and starred in her own show on HBO. I hate her. All jokes aside Dunham is a supremely talented woma, her show, Girls is a comedy about four young women living in new york city, struggling to deal with the realities of supporting oneself and maintaining a meaningful relationship. Dunham plays Hannah Horvath, a young writer living with her friend in a Brooklyn apartment, working on her debut novel having been cut off by her parents.

Dunham is fantastic as an actress, her portrayal of Hannah is tender, unique and sutle, she portrays Hannah as a genuinely flawed character, a woman who is self centered and selfish. Despite her flaws Dunham gives us something to love, something to latch on to, we empathize with Hannah and we are able to see ourselves in her, despite her flaws. In addition to being a fantastic actress, Dunham also writes the show. The show features a great selection of characters, each finely crafted and well defined, and the best episodes are the ones written by Dunham herself, as she really has a good feel for these characters and the directions they should be taken in.

In addition to her work on Girls, Dunham has also authored a book which is due to be released in September, and has directed a film, previous to the television series. Tiny Furniture was Dunham's first mainstream film, a comedy drama about a girl returning from art school, and dealing with finding a direction and defining herself. The film is well made, and acts as a blueprint for Girls, with Dunhams character being similar to Hannah, and the film also starring Jemima Kirke and Alex Karpovsky, which would later both be featured on Girls. Despite not having a huge number of credits to her name, Lena Dunhams work on these projects is impressive, and Dunham is well on the way to becoming the voice of our generation, or, at least, a voice.