Review of Lost in Translation (2003) by Stevenf — 19 Jul 2013

Lost in Translation can be interpreted in various different ways, especially with this chosen title. The film at times is like seeing some beautiful poetry on screen, it weaves between growth, despair but also companionship, especially since writer/director Sofia Coppola immediately challenges and also lures the audience into sympathy for our unlikely friends.

Bill Murray electrifies the screen as bored and seasoned American actor Bob Harris, who we meet in Tokyo filming a whiskey commercial, his sense of delusion and loneliness is immediate as we find his face often expressionless and his nights are spent sitting at his hotel bar, where he meets Charlotte, a young American graduate who shares the same mindset of loneliness and culture shock as Bob, two unlikely pals who are in a strange new world, a strange new way of life.

The two exchange various anecdotes about how they ended up in Tokyo, a place so alive and vibrant, but they feel disconnected and isolated. We learn of Charlotte living with her photographer husband, who she believes isn't spending enough time with her, thus her alienation of the city she currently resides. Bob also has relationship issues that continue to prey on his mind the longer time he spends by himself but also the older he becomes.

The budding friendship and agreement of their awkwardness in the city helps them develop their love for the place, and Sofia Coppola perfectly captures a place and whole different way of life worth falling for. She has written a beautiful script that at many moments is not heavy on dialogue, but relies on the veteran talents of Murray but also the charm and freshness of Johansson. These two stars truly command the screen, and set up the situations that the title possibly refers to, their encounters with friends, media personalities and even closer people, but they can remain lost in their own mind, through withdrawal or homesickness, one can speculate.

A poetic, beautiful, hard-hitting but clever film that explores the decency of the common man, while also dealing with situations that will arise out of a comfort zone, and how the person may react to such a change, but with the acting prowess at full steam in the film, its hard not to admire the overall work and effort, with clear affection and mastery put in throughout.