The Coppola Era

Sofia Coppola - Actress, Screenwriter, Director, Producer

      Before I learned to take note of the importance of directors and writers, I had already been drawn to Sofia Coppola's films because of the rarity in execution of which she presented them in such a mainstream world of film art. She executes this new innovated art form, where her films are vibrant filled with female characters and roles with depth whether in suburbia or a palace, while simultaneously allowing the actors to explore the world of the story presented to them even in the most subtle of ways. What makes her so important from a feminist standpoint as a filmmaker is that "I try to just make what I want to make or what I would want to see. I try not to think about the audience too much" said by Coppola in an interview for Interview Magazine regarding her filmmaking process. By diving herself into her work as she often states in interviews once a story has captured her, she just goes for it, for herself and no one else. This is not to say that her films don't modify certain audiences and outcomes but all films do, the fact that as an artist she presents her work from her own deeper personal meaning which ends up passing Bechtel tests and critical acclaim from women in the film industry, feminists, etc that's what fundamentally makes her stand out as a filmmaker. 

     I could be drawn to her films because I am one of four sisters a storyline she often uses, I love watching and hope to play roles from the 18th century, but her indie esque, low budget, drive mixed with her coming of age, adaptation of books and stories, with a need to have female characters on the forefront who are so often silenced in these lives they were born too as we see, visually, the beauty of a home/neighbored or the elegance and royalties of palace surrounding them, the struggle comes out and we see groups of women standing behind one another to find and eventually express their freedom, negatively or positively. The fact that she tries to blend highly acclaimed actresses into her films amongst the unknowns (who perform so well) so we see story versus actual personal life coming into the film so unnecessarily because of society's obsession with celebrity and fame, that alone gives Coppola the credit she deserves. She goes after our stories, the ones we seem to slip by as women but struggle with everyday yearning for this idea of freedom and luxury which is adjacently attainable if we think about it. 

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

               

                  The Bling Ring (2013)

Marie Antoinette (2006)

     Just to add to her acclaim, Sofia has passed on her filmmaking skills as they were passed down to her, to her niece Gia Coppola. Gia most recently directed the film adaptation of James Franco's novel, Palo Alto, which not only passes the Bechtel Test, is an indie, but was widely received like her aunts films at the Tribeca Film Festival, producing high hopes for the filmmaker to follow in family footsteps while creating films for women in this industry conducive to society showing who we, as women, really are. Coming of age, boys, and all that bull shit we deeply care about because we can't help it and that's simply the truth. 

Palo Alto  (2013) trailer/poster

   

Gia Coppola - Director

     One more filmmaker I must bring attention to is Amma Asante who is the writer-director of the film Belle (2014). Indie Drama to Hollywood Player, an article important to her process and goals an an artist. Belle passes the Bechtel Test, has strong female leads for a story taking place during the 1700s when women were silenced, especially when race comes into the conversation. The actors brought this story, the drive and emotion of struggling to identify yourself as a woman and a woman of color, even love, in a world not willing to accept you for being a human being. Great direction is clearly seen and has been critically acclaimed, Asante is definitely a director I would love to work with and see more films of as she creates them. 

Amma Asante (left), Belle (2014) Film Poster (right)