Somewhere

In Somewhere, Stephen Dorff is Johnny Marco, an actor whose miserable existence is punctuated with expensive misadventures and alcohol. It’s not very glamorous, and it isn’t terribly interesting, either. Half an hour in, I was fairly certain the first two minutes contained all I needed to know about the film. Elle Fanning’s first appearance as Johnny’s daughter Cleo places her in an angelic light, and it’s true that if it wasn’t for her, there wouldn’t be much to watch. After her first appearance, it’s entirely too long before she returns for a visit. Her energy, smile, and her engagement in life is a sharp contrast from Johnny’s melancholic routines.

What has Johnny done to deserve his fortune or his miseries? We’ll never know. It’s clear he’s a self-absorbed man with a guilty conscience. In LA he thinks he’s being followed, other times, he’s haunted by accusatory text messages from a private number. It comes as no surprise that he’s ill-equipped to communicate or care for to his 11-year-old daughter; more often than not, she takes care of him, better care than any of the adults in his life. By the time he figures it out, it is, of course, almost too late. Unlike most fathers, he has the blessing of leisure time, time to spend with his daughter before dropping her off at summer camp.

Somewhere is a fairly short film, though you wouldn’t guess it from a viewing. Elle Fanning as Cleo is a miniature adult; her uncommon maturity made obvious and more apparent by Johnny’s predilection for women bearing a strong resemblance to Cleo. Having finally spent more than a day with her, Johnny realizes, sobbing on the floor of his dumpy room at the Chateau Marmont, what we have known all along: his life is empty without her.

Now, no one really believes reformation happens overnight, and perhaps this self-discovery is the most we can ask of Johnny. Dorff does a brilliant job at inhabiting the torturous feelings of boredom, self-loathing, and egotism, tempering it with a genuine adoration of his daughter. He’s a marvel to see, even if the context is boring and goes on for far too long. There are no surprises, no unexpected twists, no alternate realities in Somewhere. In fact, the title is entirely misleading – because in the end, we’ve gone nowhere.