In a male dominated industry such as Hollywood, Sofia Coppola prevails as one of the only recognized female directors in film. In 2003, she received an Academy Award for Best Director for "Lost in Translation," and she was the third woman to ever be nominated in this category. Although some argue that she received prestige through nepotism given that her father is Frances Ford Coppola, the mastermind behind "The Godfather" epic, there is no denying she has a unique artistic vision and perspective on visual expression. Growing up in a filmmaking family allowed Coppola to freely explore her creative interests, such as photography and fashion, which attribute to the aesthetic qualities her films consist of. All of her films adhere to and explore similar themes of exploring certain identities and consist of female protagonists in the midst of adolescence or some kind of life transition.

1. "The Virgin Suicides" (1999)

Coppola's first major feature film starred the young Kirsten Dunst and was based off Jeffrey Eugenides' 1993 novel of the same name. This hauntingly stark film centers around five teenage sisters growing up in a strict religious household in 1970s Michigan. The girls struggle to survive as prisoners in their own home under the supervision of their stifling parents. The story is told through perspective of the local neighborhood boys who act as onlookers of the Lisbon sisters and continue to have a deep fascination with them by observing their day to day lives and seemingly mundane activities. Like most Sofia Coppola films, the overall ambiance is characterized by muted colors, and there is a detailed attention to visual properties that further address themes of isolation and depression.

My rating: 10/10

2. "Lost in Translation" (2003)

Undoubtedly Coppola's most highly-recognized and acclaimed film, "Lost in Translation" resonates with its viewers for telling a realistic love story between an aging Hollywood actor (Bill Murray) and a newlywed young woman (Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo. Coppola uses cinematography to tell a story of two isolated characters who are trying to find meaning in a city with a lack of common culture and communication. For a more in-depth review of this film, read my article here.

My rating: 9/10

3. "Marie Antoinette" (2006)

This has to be one of the most inspirational and beautiful films I have ever seen. Based on the Austrian Archduchess turned Queen of France, Marie Antoinette is a leading figure in the history of France as the country transitioned from a monarchy to a Republic with the onset of the French Revolution. Kirsten Dunst was again cast as the leading role, and Coppola focused primarily on aesthetic qualities, including the ornate setting of the film as Versailles, costumes, props and music rather than making it an accurate historical film. In fact, Dunst did not adopt an accent and instead kept her American accent, and the soundtrack consisted of modern rock music combined with classical music. Since the film is told through perspective of Marie Antoinette, the audience is able to grasp a more personal view of the pressure she faced to conceive a male son and the social anxieties she encountered as an Austrian outsider in a haughty French high society.

My rating: 10/10

4. "Somewhere" (2010)

No different from her other films, this film centers around a young girl (Elle Fanning) who becomes the responsibility of her absent father turned actor. The father must abandon his reckless lifestyle common of Hollywood stars to take care of his daughter. The film follows familiar places in Los Angeles, like the Chateau Marmont, and calls attention to themes of success and feelings of unfulfillment. "Somewhere" centers more around the Fanning's father as he is older and more developed of a character, yet Fanning helps him achieve balance in his life.

My rating: 6/10

5. "The Bling Ring" (2013)

Based on the real life celebrity burglary case in 2008, "The Bling Ring" stars Emma Watson who is the ringleader of the superficial and material-obsessed group of high school students in Calabasas, California. The group robs a plethora of celebrity homes, which resulted in over three million dollars in theft. This satire pokes fun at privileged youth's obsession with fame and designers labels and the extent that they go to receive any kind of acclaim. The film showed the lack of substance each character has, but this made the it less relatable because the viewer was not able to sympathize with any character. As a result, the film was bleak and fell flat to many critics.

My rating: 5/10