Lost In Translation
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Starring:
Bill Murray - Bob Harris
Scarlett Johansson - Charlotte
Giovanni Ribisi - John
Anna Faris - Kelly
Already receiving Oscar buzz, Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation deserves every amount of attention and praise that it’s receiving. While many dramatic films try to impress audiences with big monologues, tense dialogue scenes, or lavcious production design, Lost In Translation deserves praise for
The story focuses on two lonely souls in Tokyo, a city which becomes a character in and of itself during the course of the film. Lonely Soul A is Bob Harris (Bill Murray), a once-popular American actor now having to take time away from his family to do a whiskey commercial in Japan. Lonely Soul B is Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), whose photographer-husband spends most of his time working. After a few encounters in the hotel where they’re both staying, Bob and Charlotte form a relationship and the rest of the film is centered on the ambiguous direction of that relationship. Lost In Translation is a great little character drama and what makes the film so great is that it never tries to spell out the characters’ personality. Too often do dramas try to define their characters through big, overarching actions and still come up with poorly drawn types we've seen a million times before. Coppola keeps the film quiet and never pushes anything except that Bob and Charlotte are lonely and they need each other.
How they need each other is the focus of the film and yet Coppola wisely keeps that question unanswered. Are Bob and Charlotte good friends? Are they mentor and protégé? Are they burgeoning lovers? Is it a mixture of all these kinds of relationships and more? The film trusts the viewer to come up with his or her own answer, and that fact alone makes this film worthy of applause. 
But the film wouldn’t be half as power without the strength of its leads. Bill Murray got robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Rushmore, but Academy members would have to harbor a strange grudge not to give him attention for his work here. Murray has the saddest eyes of almost any actor working today and he conveys so much of Bob’s character with so little. When Murray effortlessly pulls off the comedic scenes, like dealing with an escort or negotiating an exercise machine, it’s expected. When he tries having a conversation with his estranged wife over the phone, it’s powerful and never ham fisted or cheap. Holding her own is young actress Scarlett Johansson. Her ability to convey Charlotte’s confusion, despair, and deep soul-searching should make her a lock for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
With Lost in Translation, writer/director Sofia Coppola delivers on the potential shown in her previous film, The Virgin Suicides. Most young directors try to overwhelm the audience with hip camera moves and intense sound effects. Coppola does the exact opposite and in doing so manages to create a film which breathes and slowly captures the audience. She shows the oddities of Tokyo while also managing to show the city’s beauty and life. She shows so much of her characters but only through small touches. She’s a director to watch and I anxiously look forward to seeing what she’ll do in the coming years.
If there is one problem with Lost In Translation, it’s that the film is almost so quiet that sometimes it feels like it lacks a pulse. But the strangeness of Tokyo, the perfect performances of Murray and Johansson, and the skilled direction of Coppola tend keep this film at just the right level.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
11.20.03