Review of Lost in Translation (2003) by Matt F — 12 Aug 2012

The content of "Lost In Translation" reminds of an old Pink Floyd song, with the lyrics detailing the relationship of two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl. It is a movie, curiously, about defying convention - a comedy that is almost too subtle, a romance that remains unconsummated, and a visual love letter to Tokyo that rarely steps outside the walls of a hotel.

"Lost" details the bond forged between Bob (Bill Murray), an aging movie star in the middle of a mid-life crisis, and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a newly-married Yale grad who is having second thoughts of her own.

What follows is an interesting platonic trajectory - one would think that, in more comfortable circumstances, neither character would even strike up a conversation with the other, let alone forge a bond as intense as the final scene depicts.

Sofia Coppola constructs a moody and profound, yet often sad, view of Japan from the outsider's point of view. Her direction is sure-handed and the script she penned (amidst controversy that she had help) sparkles with honest prose.

That being said, it truly is the acting that elevates this to another level. Scarlett Johansson proved that she was more than just a pretty face, but instead an actress with real range and courage in front of a camera.

And, of course, there's Bill Murray's career-defining performance that garners the most accolades, and rightly so - almost ten years later, it still has that perfect mix of melancholy and manic silliness (I still think he got robbed of the 2004 Oscar for best actor - sorry "Mystic River" fans).

For the uninitiated, "Lost" is still a wonderfully low-key affair, and one of the best movies dealing with human interaction you'll ever see. I highly recommend it.