Lost in Translation

I was living in Japan at the time the movie came out and I didn't get it at the time. My mistake was thinking the movie had anything to do with Tokyo and for me, seeing Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) be bored in Tokyo seemed so stupid to me.

But, I watched it again 15 years later and totally got it. Maybe because I'm lost too I finally got it. It's got nothing to do with Tokyo and everything to do with 2 people feeling completely lost in their lives. Tokyo is just a setting that's different from most westerner's every day lives to try to convey that feeling of "lost" to the viewer.

Neither of them have any idea what to do any more. Their lives seem meaningless to themselves. Charlotte has been married just 2 years but she's already disillusioned in her marriage. She calls her mom very early in the movie crying because she's in Tokyo, seeing new things, knowing it should be exciting but feeling nothing. And further, her husband is seeming like a different person than the person she thought she married. Her mom doesn't listen and doesn't have time for her (same as my mom, haha).

Bob Harris (Murray) is similarly lost. He wants to find some acting project he's passionate about but instead his manager has him making commercials in Japan. His relationship with his wife is clearly not going well (listen to their conversation on the phone about a hour in) and so he's lost too realising his marriage is basically over and they're just two people who happen to be living together.

If, like the younger me, you haven't experienced that feeling of being lost, the movie will probably do nothing for you. But, If you ever get in to a point in your life where you're feeling lost, watch it again and you might enjoy it.

Lost in Translation (2003) Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is a wistful, beautifully observed meditation on loneliness, connection, and the strange spaces in between. Set in the neon-lit sprawl of Tokyo, the film captures the feeling of emotional dislocation-not just in a foreign land, but within one's own life.

Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, a faded American movie star in Japan to film a whiskey commercial. He's adrift in his own midlife ennui, his marriage a distant echo. In the same hotel, young Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a philosophy graduate accompanying her busy photographer husband, wrestles with her own sense of purposelessness. When Bob and Charlotte meet, their quiet rapport forms the fragile soul of the film.

Their connection is delicate and undefined-somewhere between friendship, romance, and companionship. Coppola wisely avoids overt sentimentality or resolution, instead focusing on stolen moments: a shared silence, a glance across a crowded room, a night wandering Tokyo's surreal nightlife. The intimacy they share is about being seen and understood in a world that often doesn't listen.

Murray's performance is masterful-wry, tender, restrained. Johansson, luminous and introspective, brings quiet depth to Charlotte. The chemistry between them is electric in its understatement. Cinematographer Lance Acord captures Tokyo's glittering alien beauty, while the dreamy soundtrack-Air, Phoenix, The Jesus and Mary Chain-wraps the film in a haze of melancholy.

Lost in Translation isn't about dramatic events or revelations. It's about emotional nuance-the kind of aching solitude and brief human connections that leave lasting imprints. It lingers like a memory, especially the whispered final goodbye that remains one of cinema's most poignant mysteries.

A soulful, subtly profound film that captures the ache of being lost-and the beauty of being found, even briefly, by someone who understands.

Review written by artist jayakumar jrain.

When I used to think of what made a good movie, I would look at a movie from all aspects: direction, cinematography, editing, acting, story etc. The sum of all these parts make up the whole, and are also what lead me to my opinion of a film...

Then came Lost in Translation. The first time I watched this movie, I felt a strange sense of depression that lasted for a few days, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I watched it again and again, and felt the same way each time. I thought maybe it was because I have never traveled and would really like to, or that I have the desire to find the perfect woman in a strange world.

Whatever the case, I realized one thing. LOST IN TRANSLATION MADE ME THINK. It made me question my life, its purpose, whether I was happy or not, and what I want do with it. Never has a movie touched me in such a way, and for that reason, this is the one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. That doesn't mean its the best movie ever made, in fact, I can name many that are technically better than this film, like the one I named before. But I cannot name a movie that has had more effect on me than Lost in Translation, and that is why I love it and will love it forever.

Think of the last movie that really made you think, one that had such a great influence on you that it somehow changed your life, even for the littlest bit. That, to you, is a great movie...

For anyone who wants a synopsis of this movie, the critics Ebert and Berardinelli have excellent, complete reviews of 'Lost in Translation', and they both give it their highest ratings.

My wife and I saw it tonight on DVD, with DTS 5.1 sound and both think it is a remarkable movie. I like Bill Murray in just about everything, and this will go down as one of his strongest performances, as Bob, the actor in Japan for a week doing whisky commercials. Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, the young wife virtually abandoned in the city to do her own thing as her photographer husband (Ribisi) goes to various locations for shoots.

What I liked most was the realistic feel. Being in a strange city, with unusual customs and a language you have no hope of understanding. Meeting someone who because of circumstances (age, marital status) will only ever be a friend. Being able to talk freely. Reflecting on where we've been and where we might be going. Many of the negative comments about this movie relate to an impression that it is 'boring.' I'll put on my 'maturity hat' and state that anyone who thinks 'Lost In Translation' is boring simply was not able, at least while they watched it, appreciate the inner beauty of this movie.

The scene that made the whole story come together for me was when they were in one of their hotel rooms (doesn't matter which), overhead shot, they were in bed talking, fully clothed, he is on his back staring at the ceiling, she is on her side, eyes probably closed, the tips of her feet barely touching the side of his leg, and he moves his hand and puts it on her feet. Then the scene fades to black. It is the kind of tender, non-sexual touch that tells us how close they have become, and that theirs is a relationship of mutual trust and admiration, not one of lust.

People like Bob and Charlotte really exist, and they really do meet up in very similar situations. After a week, they must go their separate ways, he to his family and activities of his kids, she to wait for her husband and figure out how to get out of the rut. We sense that he does not love her the way she needs, and we wonder what will happen.

Before IMDb eliminated its discussion feature there was a lot of dialog about what he whispered to her in the street at the end of the movie. To have made it obscure is suitable, it allows each viewer to imagine what they thought he would have said. In real life he is 34 years older, he does have a family, she is still just trying to figure her life out, to me it would have been a comment of genuine affection and encouragement that things will work out well for her, either with her husband or with someone else.

It's very interesting to see all of the ratings that Lost In Translation received in different countries. In Canada it is only PG, while in America it's rated R! And really, the only explanation for this is a brief scene at a strip joint that shows some nudity. I really look down on that R rating because Lost In Translation is a good-hearted film that should be enjoyed by all ages. Notice how during the 2003 Oscar season two films played the "only one special effect: the effect on the audience" card; one being this film and the other being Mystic River. Both are great films, both are rated R in the U.S., but only one of them can carry along its story without brutal murders.

So what can I say about Lost In Translation that hasn't been said a million times already? It's all true. It's subtle, down-to-earth, and allows the audience to observe and relate to the characters, Bob and Charlotte. Both of them have a life crisis to deal with, and I guess if you're thousands and thousands of miles away from your problems it makes it easier to take an objective look at them, even if they do follow you. Bob and Charlotte confide in each other and develop a relationship. That's what it's all about, and every scene is precious. It's a real and true to life kind of film. We never hear the lines: "Oh, Charlotte, I'm so glad I went to Japan. You've changed my life in such a profound way and you'll always be in my heart." That's because that just isn't the way it goes in real life. The feeling is there, the characters know it, the audience knows it, so it has to be left at that.

So, yeah, I love this movie. It's clearly the highlight of Bill Murray's career and marks the perfect first real stand-out in Scarlett Johanson's. It's so rare to see a movie that only has an interest in its characters (and only two of them, at that!) and makes them so charming, lovable, and familiar. This is a great example of non-Hollywood Hollywood films: the well-known actors and producers going to the roots of independent film-making. In an age where half the movies out there are packed with CGI, this is refreshing to see.

My rating: 10/10