October 18, 2003
Lost in Translation (2003)
[3 - Enjoyed it]
There is a delicate grace in how writer/director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides (1999)) handled Lost in Translation (2003) that makes the movie work. In the movie Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an aging film star relegated to shooting Whiskey commercials in Japan and Scarlett Johansson is Charlotte, the young intellectual wife of a celebrated photographer left alone in a Tokyo hotel while her husband spends days on location shoots. The two start bumping into each other in the hotel hallways and bar and end up finding solace and refuge from their loneliness in each other's company. They never speak directly about their dissatisfaction or the meaning of the relationship they forge, but you get the feeling that they don't need to since they are both in the same situation and after a point understand each other better than anyone else could.
Just as the connection between the characters is the subtext to each of their conversations, so is the real story of Lost in Translation an undercurrent that is ever present but never fully in the forefront of the movie. There are some scenes that are very telling and honest, such as when Bob jokes, "Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. We have to first get out of this bar, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?" and you are not quite sure how serious Charlotte is when she replies, "I'm in". They both seem to be in the midst of a quiet crisis, Charlotte as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her young life and Harris as he asks the same question having passed the peak of his career and finding himself in a state where he is no longer sure what he brings to his marriage. The easy answer would be for them both to forsake their relationships and head out for a new life with each other, but the movie is too good to take the easy way out and instead gives us a glimpse of what it is like to wake every morning and wonder to yourself 'just what am I doing here?'
Sophia Coppola shows an excellent sense for mood and setting, the whole movie seems to have a contagious tone, however she also seems to be trying to outdo her famous father in the realm of duration. While I appreciate the artistic sensibility to take your time in doing something right, there are scenes in Lost in Translation that go on much longer than they need to. A karaoke scene where the two souls enjoy a few moments of joy out with hip Tokyo youth for example plays on for two songs longer than it needed to. Nevertheless I felt glad to have seen the movie.
Posted by Leopoldo at October 18, 2003 09:32 AM | TrackBackEddie stated: "What I respected about both characters was that, despite being committed to horribly unfulfilling relationships, they remained faithful to them."
I guess Eddie missed the part when Bob bangs the lounge singer and feels miserable the next morning when Charlotte comes knocking on the door.
Bob lost all credibility in that scene - portraying the typical average middle aged man who would bang anything that he could get his pecker into! The whole - "if only we could get outta here and find solace in each other" scenario is blown because if Charlotte is truly the bright intellectual that the movie sets her up to be - she would not trade one piece of shit husband for Bob the bozo.
Sophia is almost there - trying too soon too hard to be someone that she isn't. That shot ruined the whole thing!
Posted by: Carlos on March 21, 2004 10:04 AMScarlett was also in Ghost World.
Posted by: devlyn on March 5, 2004 01:42 PMThe whole time I watched Lost in Translation I had the odd feeling I knew Scarlett Johansson from somewhere, but I could never figure out from hwere. I just watched 'Lost in Translation' and had the exact same feeling, but still do not know why she seems so familiar. I looked through her filmography on the IMDB and do not recognize having seen any of the movies, except for maybe 'The Man Who Wasn't There'.
Posted by: Leopoldo on November 3, 2003 06:26 AMThe middle sister was Jodie Sweetin. Not Scarlett.
Posted by: Aquilla on November 3, 2003 06:19 AMI am curious as to what was whispered between Bob and Charlotte on the Tokyo street at the end of the movie. Both seem to part with a look of resolution, finality- hope. Hope for what? I inclined to think that what was whispered was a promise between the two to leave their miserable lives and make one together (possibly in Kyoto?). What I respected about both characters was that, despite being committed to horribly unfulfilling relationships, they remained faithful to them. What I hope was wispered was a promise to end dead marriages and finally consumate a relationship that was beautiful to watch unfold. At first I was a bit shocked and embarrased by the attraction of two such different people, but over the course of the movie I found them to be a match made in misery- perfect. A Wonderful movie.
p.s. Didn't Scarlett Johansson star in 'Full House' as the middle sister along side the Olsen Twins?
Posted by: Eddie on October 20, 2003 05:09 PM
