'Marc, by Sofia,' is an intimate portrait of fashion luminary and friendship

Neither Sofia Coppola nor Marc Jacobs were convinced a documentary was a good idea. Jacobs wasn’t sure he wanted to be the subject of one and Coppola wasn't sure she wanted the pressure of being the person behind the camera. This was her friend of over 30 years, after all. What if the film wasn't good?

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Yet the idea, which they credit to producers R.J. and Jane Cha Cutler, started to take hold. Coppola has always been interested in fashion and the creative process. Jacobs knew that if anyone could make him feel less self-conscious, it would be her. And they decided to jump into the unknown. At least it would be together.

"There was no off limits,” Jacobs said in a recent interview, alongside Coppola, with The Associated Press. “It was just like come as you are and you get what you get and that's the way it's going to be.”

“Marc, by Sofia,” which had its world premiere on Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival, is an evocative, and very Coppola, collage of Jacobs’ influences, his biography and his team at work putting together a ready-to-wear collection.