Her films’ texture and intimacy can be so intense as to make one forget Sofia Coppola’s never delved into the documentary field. (Unless Bill Murray really spends his time singing at Bemelmans, in which case I stand corrected.) This perhaps lends logic to Marc by Sofia, her portrait of fashion mogul Marc Jacobs that premiered at Venice, is making a pitstop at Doc Fortnight in two weeks, and releases on March 20. Ahead of this, A24 has revealed a trailer.
Our own Savina Petkova was mixed on Coppola’s project, writing out of Venice that “Marc by Sofia––particularly when observing Jacobs in his natural habitat (four weeks before a show) as he exhales a modest amount of vape smoke––is actually a viewing experience so pleasant that it gives the impression that you might even get along with him. An agreeable documentary with technically zero drama (and notably no other interviewees) portraying a hard-working icon of street-wise aesthetic and a radical influence on high fashion: what’s the catch? Arguably there isn’t one, but it’s hard to say whether the balminess of the film is a result of a friendly disposition, or if Coppola’s auteurist touch is way too light.”
Here’s MoMA’s synopsis: “Sofia Coppola’s documentary film debut is an intimate portrait of American designer Marc Jacobs, her close friend of 30 years. Largely eschewing biographical framing and talking heads, Coppola instead crafts a vivid account of Jacobs’s culture-defining creative world. Loosely anchored by the production of his 2024 spring collection, which the film follows from inception to runway show, Marc by Sofia interweaves archival footage, candid interviews, and creative influences from across Jacobs’s body of work. Part time capsule, part mood board, the film evokes the designer’s inimitable student days at Parsons, his legendary grunge collection for Perry Ellis, his storied eponymous brand and boundary-pushing at Louis Vuitton, all the way to his present outlook—all with the genial ease befitting an iconic friendship.”
Watch the trailer below:
