Sofia Coppola Films: RANKED

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Hello everyone. Welcome to the channel.

[00:00:01]I'm very excited to be here today because we're starting a new series where I'm ranking filmographies of some of my favorite directors. Today we are starting with Sophia Copela. She's the daughter of Francis Ford Copela, one of the great American filmmakers, and I think his daughter is right there alongside him. I think she is absolutely wonderful. I think she only has one truly meh movie, which we'll get into, but the other ones all have something to offer. I love her directorial style. I think the way she shoots bodies, the way she shoots men, the way she shoots women, the way she shoots objects. I think it's also well done and precise, and you can always feel this interesting sense of humor through the way she frames things and shoots things, as well as sometimes a sense of judgment, a sense of sort of sardonic nihilism. I really like this cold detachment she brings to a lot of her films while also somehow bringing out a lot of true raw human emotion. And honestly, I think this ranking is going to throw a lot of you through a loop. There's a lot of movies I was surprised given what I'd heard about them going into it, how great they were. And there were some where I was like, "Oh, I'd heard that was really fantastic." But that's one of her weaker ones to me. So, this was a really exciting filmography to go through. I already loved a couple of her films, but I'd only seen like two or three. So, going through all of them was really exciting. Let's get into it. Just so you know, I will do a spoiler-free section for all of these movies. And at a certain point, if I have to get into spoilers, I'll let you know. In which case, just skip to the next film if you haven't seen it. Let's just get into it.

[00:01:27]We've got eight films to talk about.

[00:01:29]Starting at number eight, unfortunately, one of her most recent ones, we have On the Rock, starring Rashidita Jones and Bill Murray. Basic setup here is that Rashidita Jones's character suspects that her husband might be cheating on her, and she asks her sort of a strange father to help her investigate whether her husband is cheating on her or not.

[00:01:46]And Bill Murray as the father, he's kind of a chauvinistic guy. He has very dated views on men and women. He thinks men cannot be monogous at all. So obviously all her fears and anxieties are exacerbated by asking Bill Murray for advice. Now in saying this, this is a great setup. This is a great hook, a great pitch. It's a 90-minute movie. I love Rashidita Jones. You know, whether it's in the office or the social network, like I love her screen presence, and I was totally underwhelmed here. This was the only time I thought a movie from Sophia Copela was kind of dead on arrival. The dialogue was stilted and not in a way that felt intentional like other films we'll talk about later where it felt like that was the point. It was a movie that demanded intimate human connection, but I never felt connected to it at all. And I actually felt despite some beautiful framing and some beautiful shots, I felt like the film making was was really not working with such a juvenile and undercooked script. It was really a shame and actually quite shocking because I think this premise is kind of a slam dunk for an easy 90minute watch.

[00:02:44]But it's almost what Panic Room by David Fincher could have felt like a sort of misfire where a really great director comes and meets some more easy material.

[00:02:52]But in Panic Room, it actually really elevated material. Whereas this, it's almost like I wish we got a more generic approach. The tones are just completely clashing. And frankly, I just didn't give a [ __ ] whether the husband was cheating or not. But I'm not going to spoil whether he wasn't all, but you kind of just seen there being like, "Well, I wish I got some insight into the relationship, what she loves about this guy, what he loves about her, what's changed." It was just all very detached and odd and strange. And honestly, it was a 90-minute film that felt like it went for 2 hours. I don't even know if I can give this a passing grade, to be honest. I really just thought it didn't work, which is such a shame because the rest of the movies are pretty great to utterly fantastic. So, moving on to number seven, Lost in Translation. I will say I do think given how harsh some people are on other Sophia Copela films, I do wonder if there is some film bro inflation here. I just want to stress I think this movie is really great, but I do wonder if critics and film bros have chosen to elevate this one ever so slightly just because there's a little bit of a self-insert fantasy of like, well, if Scarlett Johansson gave me a chance in Japan, like we'd probably get along, too. You know what I mean? Like people come down so hard on other Sophia Copela films, but this one is somehow elevated super high and like I honestly don't get it. Like I think it's good and I think a lot of her other ones are even better.

[00:04:11]This is one of her only movies that follows a male lead. It's about Bill Murray's character in Japan who is an aging actor who's doing commercials in Japan and there's potentially this love or this kind of connection forming between him and a very young Scarlett Johansson. So, I do wonder if the stark contrast between how well critically acclaimed this movie was compared to her other films is just in general like a lot of film discourse and film discussion is run by dudes. I know who am I to talk but I do wonder that cuz truthfully I think she pumped out six more bangers after this and it's shocking how much this movie is talked about compared to the other ones. But in saying that there is a lot to like here.

[00:04:48]I I think this movie does actually do a good job despite what some of the top letter box reviews may say. I think the movie does do a good job of kind of displaying how a connection between these two unlikely people would form.

[00:05:00]And it's not exactly saying like you should be rooting for a connection or a romance to form between these two, but it's almost this like fly onthe-wall lands as you're watching this sort of slow car crash happen or in another way this slow blessing for both of them kind of happening. I think the film does want you to feel a little uncomfortable with the age gap. And I think the film does want you to interrogate, are they only connecting with one another because they are the two whiteies in Japan and they are a little like racist and they are a little closed off to people of other cultures. Like is this just them flocking to what they know and back in America this never would have happened.

[00:05:35]I think the film is reckoning with those ideas. Now, I will say I do think there is some validity to the claims that some of the movie's humor is a little dated and a little juvenile and does come off a little racist. Most notably, the scene where a stripper comes over to like Bill Murray's apartment. I think that landed a little rough. But the other stuff, I will say I think Bill Murray's character is meant to come off a bit as a jaded dick. I don't think that's accidental. I think he's meant to make you uncomfortable at times. I think his reactions are meant to serve this characterization of someone who is kind of having a late midlife crisis. He is kind of feeling disenfranchised with his life. He is feeling disconnected and meeting Scarlett Johansson and this bond they form that's probably never going to be able to happen again for either of them back home does lead them to have some genuine moments of self-discovery.

[00:06:22]And I do think there's some wonderful scenes in this film. But at the same time, I do feel disconnected. I think sometimes Bill Murray is meant to come off charming and funny and frankly the writing just isn't quite there. So it does kind of misfire here and there. I also think while I do love the film's slow pace at other times I was seen there wishing I could connect with it a little more. I think all the solo scenes with Scarlett Johansson are absolutely wonderful, hypnotizing in fact. And I think the solo Bill Murray scenes are a bit more up and down for me. But I do think there's some truly great stuff here and I do think there's some sort of morally dubious stuff that is intentional and you are meant to see it.

[00:06:57]But at the same time, this is apparently very true to some experiences that Sophia Copela had when she was younger.

[00:07:04]The relationship Scarlett Johansson has with her fiance in the film is meant to be reflective of the relationship Sophia Copela had with Spike Jones. And so, yeah, maybe this kind of dynamic that the character of Scarjo has with Bill Murray in the film is reflective of something Sophia Copela happened in her life. And I do think that makes it interesting. Movies aren't always meant to be perfect moral reflections of what you would do in your life or what you would want to happen in your life. And I like that the movie kind of plays with this gray area in a relatively subtle and nuanced way. These characters both get something out of this dynamic, this friendship, but it's a little more than a friendship. you know, you can see some hurt in certain moments that probably shouldn't be there if it is just a friendship. Overall, I do think it's really well done and its best moments do remind me of some of the best stories of love that could never be or even just like connections that can't last forever. I think it is pretty well done.

[00:07:54]In saying that though, there's some clunky moments in the script, right? I do really enjoy that scene where Bill Murray is shooting the advertisement and the translator clearly isn't translating everything he needs to know. I think that's a moment where I kind of get Bill Murray's frustration and it doesn't come off as flatout racist or anything. But then there are moments where I think the film clearly wants you to be laughing at certain things where it's like that just isn't funny. Like like it just isn't funny. You get what I mean? I'm not particularly touchy either. I mean, I've spent the last month defending Euphoria season 3. There are just moments in this film where it feels like it goes from a criticism of how Bill Murray views Japan to kind of reing in the humor of it and I was a bit like e. Now, in saying that, we'll get into some quick spoilers before moving on to number six. So, spoiler talk for Lost in Transation.

[00:08:36]Skip in the timestamp to the next selection below. Let's just get into it.

[00:08:40]So, I do really love the scene where Bill Murray sleeps with that singer and then Scarlett Johansson shows up the next day because on one end, maybe you could read it that Scarlett Johansson is kind of hurt because Bill Murray came off sweet a couple nights before when he was talking about his kids and how that changes everything for the better. You know, maybe she's just disappointed cuz she thought he had better moral character than to cheat. But I think it always reads to me as she's upset because she is kind of jealous. She is kind of like, "Oh, you slept with that girl." And she does actually make a comment a bit later saying, "I guess she's closer to your age than I am." I just thought that scene was like really well written. And when he wakes up, you're kind of seen there being like, "Oh, I hope Scarlett Johansson doesn't catch him." And you're like, "Wait, that's [ __ ] up. Why do I even care?"

[00:09:22]But I think the movie kind of like lulls you into this sort of hypnotic state where when this happens, you're like, "Oh shit." Like, "How is she going to react to that?" And I thought it was a pretty good moment of writing. But to be honest, in these other movies, there are so many more moments like that to me.

[00:09:36]Whereas this moment in Lost in Translation was the only moment that really made me sit up and go, "Ooh, I'm really engaged." The rest of the film, I was just kind of moderately enjoying and soaking up the vibe. And I do kind of like the story that's being told on paper more than I enjoy the film as a whole. So, probably about a 7 out of 10 for me. Now, moving on to number six.

[00:09:53]And this is a credit to what a fantastic filmmaker Sophia Copela is because at number six we have Marie Antuinette. A film I flat out love. Now I will say there's minor little pacing moments that kind of sting and I wish there was slightly more of an emotional gut punch at certain points but aside from that we have a phenomenal performance from Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antuinette. I absolutely adore the fly onthe-wall approach to watching Marie Antuinette's life unfold as she's essentially put into this arranged marriage and this this beautiful palace she's in and these beautiful costumes she's in start to feel like sort of this golden cage. You know, I think it's absolutely wonderful.

[00:10:33]The writing of her trying to connect with this partner that she's kind of been arranged with as a political move is equal parts hilarious and tragic. The costumes are unbelievable. completely anacronistic, right? They're not of the time and I don't give a [ __ ] Same with the music. There's so many great punk rock choices to this film. Everything from the font in the credits to the score to someone wearing Converses, but it all kind of works. Truthfully, this is what I want to feel in like a Wes Anderson film. It looks incredible. It sounds incredible. It's consistently funny. It is a bit slow, but I kind of like the slow glacial pacing of it. And I do think eventually in its like second or third act, it really gets into this sort of hypnotic rhythm. Again, I think Kirsten Dunst is absolutely wonderful.

[00:11:20]Sophia Copela here takes a really dark tragic story, the story of Marie Antuinette, right? And I will say it is worth knowing going into the film what happened to Maria Antuinette in real life. Spoilers for history, I guess, but you need to know going into the film that eventually she got beheaded. Like I think that's crucial information to know going into the film because if you know that watching the film, it adds this true sense of sadness and this melancholy to what should be beautiful and fun. You know what you're watching in the present moment in this film feel so light and so funny and so fun, but you know, her cavalier attitude and just the way she's operating as a young 15 to 17year-old teenager is ultimately what's going to seal her fate one day. And I think it's just really well done. Sophia Copeland knows exactly what she's doing here. And I think if you give yourself over to this movie, you will be rewarded with something that is truly melancholic. I mean, the scene where she's walking around to Averil 14th from Ax Twin is absolutely wonderful. It it just hits you like a truck and you're like, why am I sad? Why do I feel melancholy right now? Like nothing too bad has happened, but you start to feel at will. And I mean, that final section where the people of France are starting to turn on her does feel genuinely quite horrific and daunting and scary. I 100% recommend Marie Antuinette, you know, and there are a lot of critics on the day that pan this film and think it didn't go far enough and think it wasn't like a great historical biopic, but that's exactly why I love it. It's taking a chunk of Marie Antuinette's life and being like, this is kind of who she was. Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?

[00:12:48]But also like isn't this kind of fun?

[00:12:50]And like look what happened to her eventually. And I really like that approach. And I think if this came out now and had a little A24 label, it would absolutely pop the [ __ ] off. I think it's smart, subversive film making. and I absolutely love it and I'm with Roger Eber when he gave it like a four out of four. He was absolutely on the level with this film. In saying that though, for me it's an 8 out of 10. But moving on. Hey guys, just quickly, if you're enjoying this video, please consider gain a membership to this channel. For the cost of a couple of dollars a month, you get access to a weekly podcast where I talk about every single show and movie I've watched in a given week. This is stuff off the shelf behind me, stuff at movies I don't have time to cover on the main channel, as well as stuff on streaming. Thank you so much for considering. Really helps out the channel. Links are in the description below. And now back to the video. Now moving on to number five. This is where Sophia Copela's filmography gets interesting to me, right? Because Lost in Translation has a 3.8. It's her second highest rated on Letterbox.

[00:13:41]Somewhere is like totally mid-range.

[00:13:43]It's like a three or a 3.4 or something.

[00:13:46]I absolutely love Somewhere. No one has ever told me to watch Somewhere. I have never heard anyone be like, "Yo, if if you like Priscilla, if you like Virgin Suicides, you got to check out Somewhere." But in saying that, Somewhere's great. Somewhere is really good. Now, Somewhere stars Steven Dorf, who I only knew from like the villain of the first Blade movie. He's fantastic here. And Al Fanning, a young Al Fanning, who again also fantastic. And this film, it does feel a little, that's what you notice with Sophia Copela. A lot of her films kind of rhyme. This film does feel a little like lost in translation in its sort of like fly onthe-wall approach at times. But more to the point, uh, if you like After Sun, you have to watch this film. The basic setup here is that this like actor who's kind of a ladies man. He's giving into his vices all the time. He's drinking.

[00:14:34]He's hiring strippers. He's just kind of like buming around, but he's obviously got a very lavish wealthy lifestyle. He drives a beautiful car. He can buy anything he wants basically. And he's just kind of like sitting around. And then his daughter, who he rarely sees, has to stay with him for a while while the mom, I think, has something to do. I forget what it is. The separated mom has to drop off the daughter to this actor.

[00:14:54]And basically, the movie is just watching them on sort of this extended holiday. He has press tours he has to do and he has places he needs to travel. I think notably he goes to Italy. So Al Fanning, the daughter, comes along with him and it's just this beautiful fly-in-the-wall movie of watching someone who isn't really acting super paternal. They almost get along like friends. Again, it reminds me of after son in the sense that Paul Mell and the daughter in that film are so close in age that it starts sort of blurring the line into what feels more like an older brother. And I think in this film it gets something different. It feels like Al Fanning is a lot older than her years and maybe Steven Dorf is a lot younger than he is in like actual age, right?

[00:15:33]Because she's been forced to grow up early by her parental situation and because he's a famous guy, he's almost infantilized and everyone does things for him and he's just living like a teenager, you know. So, I think some people will watch this movie and be really mortified by, you know, the fact that he walks around in a towel after like banging a chick and says hi to his daughter. But for me, it showed this really beautiful relationship where it's like you don't need to agree with it, but there's something beautiful here that despite how kind of like off-putting some of the things that the dad does around his daughter may feel, there's a true genuine connection and bond there. And it's a more pure authentic bond between daddy and daughter than you see a lot than you see a lot in real life. They're a lot more honest and transparent with one another.

[00:16:17]And he does care for her, you know, like it is really beautiful at times.

[00:16:21]Clearly, this movie is somewhat of an allegory or somewhat of a onetoone for Sophia Copela's relationship with her father, Francis Ford Copela. He is a really great famous filmmaker, right?

[00:16:33]And I'm sure some of the stuff we're seeing here, you know, being put in cars to see her dad driven by random people and him flying a helicopter to see her and all this stuff, I'm sure that's reflective of some relationship dynamics that she had with her father. But thankfully, this movie doesn't feel like a wankfest. This doesn't feel like, you know, Noah Bumbbox Jay Cali where it's just like, oh my god, famous people are just they they just live differently to us. Isn't it crazy? No, this movie is taking very human emotions and human dynamics and putting them in a setting that maybe we don't initially relate to.

[00:17:04]But I think the trick of the film is after a while you really do start to get pulled in emotionally and it is slightly slow, but not really. I I really liked the slow pacing of this film. I also will note I absolutely love how Sophia Copela frames bodies and sensuality in her films whether it's the opening shot of like Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation where there is this cold detachment and in this one there are these great scenes with like strippers that are doing strip dances for Steven Dorf. He's like too drunk and too tired to even enjoy it. And there's no hot music. This isn't shot like a stripping scene from Euphoria, for example, where it genuinely feels exciting and euphoric and you're like, whoa. This is a scene where them sliding up and down the pole sounds awkward. You can hear the skin scraping. It's clunky. They're also dressed in like underage schoolgirl outfits and then he sees his daughter.

[00:17:55]It's meant to pull weird, strange feeling emotions out of you. And I think it's really, really well done. I really love this film and I strongly recommend it. I just had one quick note. The reason because I'm clearly talking about it super highly. The reason this isn't like number one or number two is literally just because a music choice, a needle drop right at the end of the movie pissed me off so hard. The whole movie is super quiet, super interpretive and then right at the end a certain character does something and you're like, "Oh, can't wait to interpret what this means." And it just plays this like overdone indie song and it's just clearly being like feel this way. And I was like just given the approach of the rest of the movie, it just felt it it totally took me out of the movie. So it's like literally 99% of the run time, perfect. And then all of a sudden I was like uh aside from that though, wonderful. Hey, pick. Moving on to number four. This is a crazy pick. This is one of her lowest films. I know. But The Bling Ring, I absolutely love The Bling Ring. I get kind of why people don't like it. Now, I will say I have a big asterisk for this film. And the big asterisk is one of the actresses kind of sucks in this film. I forget her name, but I'll flash her on screen. She sucks.

[00:19:05]She's really, really bad. All right, she butchers this film, but everything else I think is actually really well done. I think you are meant to feel detached emotionally from these people. The plot of The Bling Ring is a group of young school kids that are in LA decide to rob a bunch of rich people's houses, like Paris Hilton's house, Lindsay Lohan's house. You know, they'll Google rich people's houses, break in, steal their stuff. I read a lot of early criticism of this film. people complaining that this movie doesn't condemn them enough and doesn't kind of villainize them enough or interrogate their psychology enough. This group of kids that choose to rob this stuff. And that's why I like the movie because in my opinion, like I think this does a much better job of condemning these characters than Wolf of Wall Street does condemning Jordan Belffort. And I love Wolf of Wall Street, but Wolf of Wall Street feels like it's really trying to get you in the headsp space of Jordan Belffort. And you're kind of enjoying a lot of the stuff he's reing in. Whereas this film, you don't enjoy it. I think that is maybe the disconnect for some people.

[00:20:05]They're not cool. They steal a bunch of money to buy frankly [ __ ] tacky clothes.

[00:20:10]They have no taste. And I think this movie is interesting because on one end, the viewpoint of the movie could almost feel a little elitist. It's almost like mocking these young kids that think the only difference between them and famous people are just the access to goods and money. And you see that when they have money and when they have clothes, they're still tacky losers. And on top of that, I think you are meant to be a little detached from them because frankly, the way they dehumanize celebrities does come off kind of cold and gross. And I know rich celebrities can suck here and there, but I think the movie makes a really fantastic point towards its ending to do with something with Lindsay Lohan. I won't spoil it here in the spoiler-free section, but it makes an interesting point where you're like, "Wow, these people aren't as rich as some of the rich celebrities, but I would say they're almost worse in how inhumane and how they see themselves compared to these rich celebrities."

[00:21:01]Just the internal psychology and reasoning these characters have. At the same time, it is also fun. I think there is almost a voyeristic nature to this movie that pulls me in. It's interesting watching them break into these houses and kind of invade on the lives of these celebrities. It almost lulls you in to an extent. I also think Emma Watson gives a really fantastic performance.

[00:21:22]>> I want to lead a country one day for all I know.

[00:21:24]>> I think she was totally on the level.

[00:21:26]She knew what film she was in. Like lines like, "Let's go rob. I want to rob." Like, it's cringe. And I think it's meant to be. You know, watching them walk down the street with Kanye West's power playing, I think is meant to feel dumb. It's meant to feel silly.

[00:21:39]Like, they don't look like they belong in a music video from Kanye West.

[00:21:42]similar when they're driving around and singing all of the lights and then what happens happens. Like all of that stuff I think is really well done. I think it does serve as a good condemnation without like holding your hand. I also like that it leaves you making up your own mind about how you feel about certain characters and their faith. I think The Bling Ring is a subtly subversive film. And no, I do think there is a bit of Sophia Copela judging these characters. I don't think she thinks they're cool at all. I think she's like, "I've met parasites like this. Look at what they're like." I really like it. I really really like it and I also like it feels like a very authentic early 2000s film. Like it really does feel true to how me and my friends were around that age too. And I will say also I think that was captured well in Somewhere too. Sophia Copeland knows how to film and frame things in a way that I really like. You know, somewhere in the bling ring almost feel like period pieces despite being shot in the time they were set, if that makes sense. Like it almost feels like they could have been made today. She has such a good eye for what will be iconic iconography. Does that make sense? Like she knows Guitar Hero is going to be something that we go, "Oh, yeah." Like just really well done. Now, before we get to the next one, I'll briefly talk about spoilers with The Bling Ring. So, click to the next movie if you don't want it spoiled, but in the Bling Ring at the end when Emma Watson kind of gets away with it all. She goes to jail for 30 days and kind of her like friend who may or may not have been gay goes to jail for what seems like way longer and way more serious. You feel bad for him cuz he was almost roped into it compared to the others. But, it's a pretty tough watch. But I will say that end interview I think says it all. You know, for people that thought it wasn't a condemnation enough or I wasn't judging these characters harshly enough. Emma Watson comes off completely unlikable.

[00:23:20]You know, she's seen there talk about her 30-day stint, you know, mocking people that couldn't manage their weave and said she was woken up at 5:30 a.m.

[00:23:26]by Lindsay Lohan's crying. It was just absurd. Like, she comes off privileged and incredibly bratty. And the TV interviewer being like, "How'd that feel given the fact that you'd robbed her and you'd like taken some of her stuff?" and Emma Watson's complete denial meanwhile denigrating and degrading Lindsay Lohan who was going through her own personal c like genuine personal crisis at the hands of the way people looked at her I think it absolutely nails it I thought it was such a wonderful ending to the film and I think it does bring up the film for me a fair bit so yeah some performances are a bit bummy there's some cold detachment but at the same time I think if you meet the movie on its level there is something really good here and I also think it's a really easy watch like a 90minute easy watch Next, we get into Priscilla, which aside from Marie Antuinette, this was actually my first Sophia Copela film, at least my first Sophia Copela film I'd seen with like a developed brain. I'd seen Marie Antuinette years ago, but Priscilla, in my opinion, is a late in the game Sophia Copela banger. All right. Now, I would go as far to say it's bordering on a masterpiece. I do think it's really that good. I think the way she films objects, the way she just films iconography in general, it all feels so good. I was absolutely addicted to the initial teaser we got of this film initially. I thought it captured the vibe wonderfully. For those of you who don't know, the setup of Priscilla is that it's I wouldn't even call it a biopic.

[00:24:47]It's kind of like a fly onthe-wall relationship drama with someone who happens to be the girlfriend and wife of famous musician Elvis Presley. What I like best about this movie is I think what other people don't like about it is you don't need to be an Elvis fan. You don't even need to know Elvis. And I would go as far to say that the film almost works better. If you just go into it, watch it as like a 1950s Nate Jacobs Euphoria episode or something. Jacob Alludi as Elvis Presley is wonderful.

[00:25:16]You don't get much of him singing.

[00:25:18]There's none of him like really on stage doing an Elvis thing, but uh he completely embodies the role. I will say in the opening 5 to 10 minutes, they have one moment where Jacob Lord is like playing on the piano and the voice is so clearly dubbed of someone else singing Elvis. Get past that. Get past that. The movie is not about the musical performances. Just get past that. Once they get into the relationship, this film is absolutely wonderful. And I think what the film does well, and what a couple of Sophia Copela's films does well, is they kind of do this thing where, yes, you're watching morally questionable, morally dubious things, but it's kind of floating in some gray area. Similar to the way where lost in translation yes is an uncomfortable age gap but you are meant to find the humanity in that uncomfortable age gap.

[00:26:03]I think Priscilla is doing something similar. You know, Priscilla is adapted from Priscilla's actual memoirs. And I watched the behind the scenes, the makeup of documentary of this film where Priscilla Presley talks about watching this film, which I think most people view as a film about a borderline abusive relationship, but most people watch this film and go, "Oh my god." And Priscilla said she watched it and was like, "Ah, that's the man I was in love with." Like so much of it was reminding me of this time in my life that I'll forever cherish despite how difficult it was. And to me, that's what I really like about the film. I think yes uh Elvis does come off scary at times and kind of coercive and there are things he does where you're like what the hell man but at the same time I think the film also tells this really sad story as you're watching someone give into addiction given to vices from the perspective of Priscilla Presley. This is Priscilla's story. Do not get it twisted. We are following her most of the time and a lot of the movie is just hanging out with her as she's waiting for the person she married, waiting for the person she's meant to be in love with get home to her. She is living a relationship long distance and having to watch him gallivant around with hot actresses and do photooots with models and, you know, listen to songs that she can't tell whether they're about her or not. Read tabloid news about who Elvis is. And meanwhile, she's feeling like she's kept a secret. And all of that is just so well done. And at the same at the same time though, when you see Elvis, Jacob Lord had such a great physical presence to this role. But when you see Elvis and you see them together, you can't help but get swept up in it.

[00:27:36]The way Sophia Copela frames these moments where they walk out in front of paparazzi and the lifestyle they're leaving, it does seem hypnotic. It does seem inviting, but at the same time, behind closed doors, it feels cold and disconnected. But sometimes he does come off genuinely charming. And there are moments towards the end of movie where yes, an easy take is just, oh, this became a shitty, toxic, abusive relationship. And yeah, there is some of that for sure. But at the same time, on rewatch, I was pretty struck by how sad it is to watch someone give into their vices, give into their addiction, and not be the person you signed up for in the relationship. You know, Priscilla still does love Elvis, but you slowly watch him become first he becomes disconnected because he's obsessed with religion. And then he starts becoming an alcoholic and he starts becoming more detached and more disjointed. It's all told from Priscilla's perspective and I think it's done really well. And the reason I love this movie again is because even if you're not a fan of these people, I think it's just a really fascinating story about an occasionally very toxic relationship, but also just the pain of losing someone you love slowly over years and years. Uh, Jacob Lordy is absolutely fantastic. And Kaye Spainy is also absolutely wonderful and the looks in this movie, the costumes, the makeup, the aesthetic of this film is absolutely wonderful. It's a world you really want to soak in. It is very measured in its pacing and I think deceptively slight on first watch, but each rewatch of this film feels infinitely rewarding to me and really quite hypnotic. And I think there's an empathetic and human lens that occasionally Sophia Copela chooses not to engage with, but it's really great to see in this film. Next, we have our number two spot. This was an absolute shock to me because I genuinely thought Priscilla was going to be number one or two. I love Priscilla. I was like, what could be better than this? I've seen everything. I've seen everything up until this point except number two spot, which is The Beguiled. The Begold. The Beguiled. Uh, I loved this film. Uh, I will say unfortunate to know uh it is a remake. I did not know that. So going into this I was like she wrote this story herself. She came up with this herself. This is incredible and and feels so different to other stuff she's done. It is unfortunately a remake. And that does kind of bum me out. It's sort of that thing where I absolutely love Beonia from Yorgos Lanthamos, but at the same time it's like there's that little voice in my head that's like ah they didn't come up with it. But in saying that, uh, just going into this fresh, I love this film. I had no idea what the plot was. I had no idea who was in it. I knew it was from 2017, so I was like, "Cool, we get modern Sophia Copela." But also, you don't hear much about modern Sophia Copela, so I was concerned. But in saying that, I absolutely love this film. The setup for this film is that during the Civil War, a soldier that was on like the good side, all right, the side that was trying to stop slavery, right? Rocks up at a Confederate household full of young women, right?

[00:30:24]It's like kind of a school full of young women. He's injured. Uh he knows he's in enemy territory and they could actually just like do him in to Confederate soldiers. So he tries to ingratiate himself in. He's injured. He needs care.

[00:30:39]What I love about this film is it is somehow out of nowhere one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever seen.

[00:30:46]And it just kind of creeps up on you.

[00:30:47]The initial premise is, you know, these women take him in and at first you're like, "Oh, they're just being a bit catty and they're all kind of competing for this handsome man's attention while he's injured." We watch as Colin Fowl, great cast by the way, but he tries to kind of flirt with all the different women and ingratiate himself because he doesn't want to be dobbed and ratted on to the Confederate soldiers. So he's like, "Okay, like if I form strong connections," it's almost like Love Island. He's like, "If I form strong connections with all these women, it will stop me from getting dobbed into the Confederate soldiers who might just shoot me in the face." I won't give anything away more than that up until the spoiler section, but this is a stack cast. We have Nicole Kidman and this was in that like second wind of Nicole Kidman's career that she had where she was just doing banger after banger after banger after banger. She's back in banger form. We have Kirsten Dun back with Sophia Copel again. Al Fanning again. We have the girl who's the lead in Mean Girls. Wonderful cast, wonderful performances. It's a cold movie but a beautiful looking film. It's like 94 minutes. That's another thing I love about Sophia Coobblah. You can watch like three or four of her films in a day if you want to like comfortably too. uh really wonderfully well- paced, tight little bottle movie thriller thing and it just gets slowly more devious and more like what the hell is going on? And uh it's been really interesting too because when the film ended I was like I don't know how to feel about any of that in a really good way. And then reading discussions on Reddit was equal parts frustrating but also very enlightening.

[00:32:10]I had a really good time with this film and I'm just being honest with my experience guys like Priscilla might be a better movie. Maria Antuinette might be a better movie. I don't know. But like I had a wonderful time watching The Beguiled. And maybe it's because I went in with whatever expectations. I had such a great time with it. But I thought it was really, really good. Really, really good. And again, it's another movie again that if it had the A24 label at the front, I think it would have popped the [ __ ] off. Now, before we get to my number one quick spoiler section for The Beguiled, I think it was really interesting because yes, I think what it's playing with is sort of gender expectations and the wolf verse the sheep. All right. Like initially, yes, he is a man. So, inherently in his like physicality, there is some dominance and some fear in him entering a house full of young women. But at the same time, he's injured and crippled. But obviously, as his leg gets more healed, he's more capable of potentially being violent, being sexually manipulative or aggressive. And that's kind of the ticking clock element of this is, is he going to be a good guy the whole time as he gets his leg healed? Now, I will say I read some Reddit discussions afterwards where I thought they were a little too I'm not going to say harsh to him, but a little too quick to just be like, "This movie is a perfect example of nice guy syndrome." I I I think it's a little more humanistic than that. I think you are meant to be having some questions about the dubious morality of what happens to Colin Farrell's character by the end of this movie. I don't think it's as clearcut. I don't think it's as clear-cut as that [ __ ] deserved it. I think there is meant to be some paranoia that's building into him. And I do think there is some truth to the fact that he was probably pushed down the stairs because Kirsten Dunce was jealous and did have an emotionally reactive response. Pushed him down the stairs. He wakes up. His legs missing. I'd be mad, too. Would I throw the turtle across the room?

[00:33:59]Probably not. But at the same time, like if my leg got cut off, I would be freaking out, too. And I think at the same time, the brilliance of the Ryan and the brilliance of the movie is well, also you were kind of driving them nuts.

[00:34:10]you were flirty in all their ears. You were kind of setting up these jealousies. So, it's not to say he deserved to be pushed down the stairs or anything and then get his leg cut off.

[00:34:18]At the same time though, they were trying to save his life by removing the leg earnestly. But I think the movie is really pulling and pushing you in terms of where your sympathies lies. You know, he does lose his [ __ ] and the moment he threw the turtle, I was like, "Fuck that guy, man. Kill him." But then when he's at the dinner and they've poisoned him with the poison mushrooms and he's kind of apologizing. He's like, "I'm really sorry for freaking out. That wasn't good of me. Like, thank you for taking care of me." And like, he's really apologizing and he doesn't know that the mushrooms are poison. I don't think he's being that manipulative. And also, at the same time, can we judge him too harshly for wanting to ingratiate himself in that household and not be sent off to conveyor flag? I know this is somewhat of a dude broake, but at the same time, I totally get why they were terrified of him. It's this great scene where you're like, well, you kind of went over the top. I mean, yes, you were freaking out about the leg, but like you terrified them. You really scared them.

[00:35:12]Um, and then they've reacted by poisoning the mushrooms, which Kirsten Dun doesn't know at this point. All of it was great. Like, you feel bad for Kirsten Dunce because she did really love him. Uh, you feel bad for him to an extent cuz I think he had this moment of big overreaction in a very he had a moment of really big visceral overreaction in a household that was already kind of scared of him and what he could do. And maybe they overreacted a little too by killing him. I don't know. But I think that's the brilliance of the movie is it leaves you feeling very unsettled and you also have seen there being like a you know and in a good way. In a really good way. I thought this was absolutely wonderful.

[00:35:50]Love this film. Again, I don't think it's as clear-cut as like, oh, this is just a nice guy who pretends to be nice and is then bad. I think it's more complicated and human than that, where it's like they're all trying to be good people, but tensions just brew and rise and get nasty and uncomfortable. And yeah, I thought it was a total bunny boiler of a film. I loved it. Moving on to number one. And I hate to give a filmmaker their number one spot, their first film. Obviously, I assume most filmmakers aspire to improve as their filmography goes on. And I do think Sophia Copela's Modern Era is absolutely fantastic. Like literally, The Beguiled and Priscilla are my second and third place. In saying that though, The Virgin Suicides is phenomenal. It's absolutely phenomenal. For those of you who don't know what it's about, it's kind of this POV, fly on the wall. It's it's following these young boys that are kind of obsessed with these beautiful young blonde girls that live across from them or live in their neighborhood. this this family of young girls that's kind of like hidden away from the world by their very like conservative, concerned, overconerned, overprotective mother and you kind of watch as everyone kind of wants a piece of them. Everyone kind of like admires them for their beauty but doesn't really interrogate what makes them tick as people and how that kind of corrupts them and kind of corrods something beautiful. The movie opens with one of the girls having a suicide attempt and from there the film kind of reckons with what caused that? why did that happen, etc., etc. I won't give anything away past that. But I think this movie looks incredible. It sounds incredible. You have great performances across the board, but it almost plays as this gothic nightmare sort of story.

[00:37:27]Like, by the end of it, I was really moved. I was incredibly unsettled and completely flawed and devastated. And I I don't know, like it's a breezy 90 to 100 minute movie, but I was just totally gripped by it, totally hypnotized. And it's a movie that initially you might be like, "Oh, is that it? That's the movie that everyone raves about, but you'll sit there afterwards and it'll just kind of like sear into your brain and certain visuals that initially weren't that fullon, but they slowly creep up on you more and more and more." And I I don't know. I think it's pretty much a perfect film. I absolutely love it. I've got it like a 9 out of 10 right now and I feel like if I rewatched it, it would be an easy 10. I am absolutely obsessed with it. There's some strange pacing, some interesting rhythm to it, a really morbid, odd sense of humor, but if you just kind of ride with it, uh there's really something beautiful and haunting here that I think is very much worth your time. And similar to the Begold, actually, I think those are her two really haunting atmospheric movies, but they're absolutely wonderful. Anyways, thank you so much for watching everyone.

[00:38:30]That's Sophia Copela ranked. Let me know what directors you'd like me to talk about. My next one is going to be Lars Vontrea, but let me know who you want me to rank and I'll take those ideas into consideration for future videos. Thank you so much for watching everyone.

[00:38:43]Please like, comment, and subscribe and have a lovely day. Thank you.