Dispatches from the Fury Road: Sofia

Sofia began her career in the movies playing Michael Corleone’s baby.

I often feel I am engaging with a half-remembered dream when I watch her films. It makes sense. When your whole life has been surrounded by the internal and external myth making that is a major part of Hollywood, I’m guessing it would often feel ethereal. Not that her films are weightless. There’s a gravity that drags you back into reality. It’s a surprise when you realise your feet are once again on the ground.

Case in point: If anyone knows the story behind Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” and that song’s almost relationship with Elvis, the final shot of the underrated “Priscilla” hits home in a very different way.

I love her film “Somewhere”.

Amongst my friends I am in the minority. They criticise it for being dull. That it lacks story. Complain that Stephen Dorff barely acts in the lead role of Johnny Marco. If that’s how they feel, I move the conversation on. I am far beyond the age of needing friends to agree with me who aren’t receptive.

“Somewhere” has a great sense of humour. From the start we watch a car driving around and around on a racetrack at incredible speeds. The camera remains locked in position so there are times we can only hear the automobile before it races back into view. Movies have taught us that scenes build up and then a conclusion bring us release from the tension. This time, as the car kept whizzing by, my initial thought was that we were about to see or hear a car crash. The scene goes for a long time. In the end the car comes to a halt, Johnny climbs out of the driver’s seat, and stares off into the world seemingly non-plussed by his circumstance. There is build up but no relief.

I found this hilarious and was hooked for the rest of the film.

This is not only funny but the key to understanding the story. Johnny is a big movie star who makes big budget films that say very little. He’s not overly smart. He’s been famous for so long most of his relationships are superficial. Once you’re famous, and I mean properly famous, you’re surrounded by people who want to protect you, guide you and make certain their investment continues to produce dividends. If Johnny has been in the spotlight for a long time, it isn’t a surprise that he is emotionally stunted.

Watching Sofia’s movie is an interesting insight into stardom. You know she’s been surrounded by these types of men all her life. Johnny isn’t awful. He’s just not very deep. He doesn’t have anything interesting to say. He barely knows how to react in any given circumstance.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t experience feelings. The actor is quite clearly depressed and lacks the words to articulate what he feels deep inside. Sofia treats him with the right amount of respect. He’s an idiot, and he might be capable of growth. I wouldn’t have bet on it while watching the movie. He’s still clueless.

There are moments where you think Johnny is about to have his road to Damascus but often he makes the easier choice. The editing in the film is where the humour lies. At one point we watch him with his broken arm, sitting in the Chateau Marmont in LA, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette alone. He makes some calls. He wants company but nobody is around. Is this the moment he decides his life needs to change? One hard cut later and he’s back in his bedroom staring at two strippers dancing on collapsable poles to the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero”. This isn’t the first time he’s booked the girls. It also isn’t the first time he’s watched detached from any noticeable enjoyment, satisfaction, or desire. The combination of the funny hard edit and distillation of the movie’s theme enjoy a rent free life in my head.

I also love the long scene where Johnny has white goo plastered all over his head so they can make a mask for his next film. I don’t mean to be crude but it looks like he is covered in ejaculate, with two holes allowing him to breathe. Sofia stays on that shot for a long time with only his measured inhaling and exhaling as the soundtrack. The scene went for so long I felt claustrophobic and towards the end, mildly hysterical. Get it off! Eventually they make the mask, and when he tries on the finished product, he appears as an older version of himself. If Johnny isn’t careful, he will be that old man in reality without having engaged or experienced the life he has lived.

I love the relationship with his daughter. Cleo, as played by a young Elle Fanning, might be his way to return to the world. He obviously loves her in his useless way. She is more aware and understanding of her father than he can ever hope to be of himself. She has to mother him, preparing breakfast in the morning, chastising him for a one night stand. Johnny is lucky to have her. The love she experiences from her father is childlike. Emotionally he might only be a few years older. When she finally succumbs to the pressure of youth, of having to grow up, now Johnny has to be an adult and take on the one role of father, the only role that truly matters. In the end he connects with the deep love he feels for his daughter but even then when he tries to express this, his sincere declaration is drowned out by the sound of a helicopter.

We laugh. He’s frustrated. She’s fine for now.

How does it end? I like to think he does experience growth. Probably not too much. I don’t think he’s smart enough to fully get there. Not where the story leaves us anyway. As I mentioned earlier, super famous people have lived protected lives for so long, they’re the weirdest humans you’ll ever meet. They usually have a lot of opinions based on the solid foundation of themselves, carefully built by the people that surround them. Maybe I am projecting and want to see Johnny wake from his dream a little more complete. Mostly for his relationship with his daughter if nothing else.

I wonder what Sofia’s father thought when the credits rolled.

It fascinates me to this day.

Justin Hamilton

3rd of February, 2025

Surry Hills