Academy Award Winner Sofia Coppola may be touted by some as ‘the nepotism queen,’ but her talent as both a director and writer shows why she’s much more than her father’s daughter. Despite most of her family being in the business, Sofia initially wanted to study fashion or become a magazine editor. She quickly realized filmmaking could combine all of her interests. As someone who works in fashion and at one point also dreamed about being a magazine editor, Sofia effortlessly showcases these specific interests and skill sets in every film throughout her filmography so far.

Sofia’s films offer a unique perspective on the lives of women and explore various aspects of femininity, identity, and society’s expectations. One of the hallmarks of her storytelling is her ability to create authentic and relatable female characters. Sofia doesn’t create films about girlhood as it grows into womanhood, but she explores girlhood as it stands next to womanhood. She delves into the inner worlds of her protagonists, providing depth and nuance to their emotions and struggles. Her characters are often multi-dimensional, grappling with issues such as loneliness, alienation, and the quest for independence. A word often used to describe her films is tragicomic, as Sofia is able to highlight both the sad and humor found in most women’s lives. 

In almost all of Sofia’s films, she follows a woman residing what on the outside could appear to be a fantasy to others, but she feels isolated and alone. In Lost in Translation, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is traveling the world with her husband but feels neglected and alone in their marriage. While in Marie Antoinette, our titular queen (Kirsten Dunst) is shown more in a sympathetic light as the film highlights the pressures and constraints she faced as a woman in a rigidly hierarchical society. Even when she follows a younger character, like in Somewhere or The Bling Ring, Sofia is able to truly connect with the woes and feelings of a young girl. 

Sofia’s understanding of all the women she writes truly sets her apart as a writer. Even if her characters can be in the wrong, she never paints them in a vicious light. She finds the soul and heart of each character and explores their real motivations in life. Sofia, as a director, is able to make the simplest shot beautiful, full of meaning, and surreal. She has a feminine, dreamy aesthetic that many try to emulate, but can’t even come close. Sofia can take a wall full of Christian Louboutin heels in Paris Hilton’s closet and somehow make it seem magical despite it being a symbol of greed because she searches for the meaning behind a material possession in every frame. 

With her extensive interest in fashion, travel, photography and celebrity, part of Sofia’s filmmaking is the same girlishness she from simplistic material possessions to the locations to themselves. Sofia has been given access to shooting on locations that are seemingly not available to other filmmakers. From the Park Hyatt in Tokyo to Versailles to the Chateau Marmont and even Paris Hilton’s home, she’s been able to not only world build in a realistic way but visually show how her protagonists feel in their actual environments.

Sofia’s next film, premiering today at the Venice Film Festival, is Priscilla, which is adapted from Priscilla Presley’s memoir ‘Elvis & Me’ and stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi. When the project was announced, it made perfect sense as Sofia is the perfect match to tell the story of a young girl meeting Elvis and their courtship.  In the memoir, Presley describes her journey from her first meeting with the iconic musician to moving to Graceland as a lonely teenage girl. No filmmaker is better equipped to show the loneliness, boredom, and eventual sexual desires a teen girl can go through than Sofia. Presley’s journey of girlhood to womanhood may be different than what most people have experienced, but most can relate on some level. While I have not seen the A24 film, I just know Presley’s sensitive story is in perfect hands with Sofia Coppola.