Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
For anybody doubting Sofia Coppola’s ability as a director, Lost in Translation is the proof that there’s more substance to her than just a famous last name. Embodying the role of auteur, she not only directed, produced, but also wrote the screenplay for this film. Lost in Translation tells the story of an unlikely pair of companions who find each other in the middle of the busy lightshow that is Tokyo, posing questions about life that go beyond the film. It is funny, moody, and pensive without being too heavy.
Bill Murray breaks out of his usual comic relief roles to play a melancholy has-been actor in Tokyo to endorse Suntory whisky. Every morning, he meets his squad of Japanese handlers in the lobby of the Tokyo Park Hyatt and is treated as an object for the rest of the day. From his tall stature to the language barrier, Bob Harris is anything but comfortable. Indifferent to the emotionless phone calls he receives from his wife back in the US, he finds companionship in Charlotte, a young newlywed following her photographer husband on assignment. Both characters feel abandoned, as viewers get a sense that Bob’s wife and children are leading a separate life in which they do not need him, and Charlotte’s husband constantly abandons her to go on assignment. A connection is formed through their mutual sense of alienation from the rest of the city, despite being in the world’s most crowded city. The film uses dialogue sparingly, preferring to observe the daily routine of Charlotte and Bob as they try to find substance in the lives forced upon them. Worried when she feels nothing after visiting a temple, Charlotte tries to motivate herself by walking around the city, decorating her hotel room, and visiting more shrines in Kyoto.
In spite of the age gap, both characters find the substance that they seek after meeting in the hotel lounge. It is important to note that Coppola emphasizes their emotional connection, without crossing over to the realm of affair. Bob and Charlotte are both married, but their relationship is purely friendship. The two go on adventures with Charlotte’s Japanese friends, to psychedelic parties, karaoke, and strip clubs. Later, in a drunken haze, Bob brings the lounge singer back to his room, further highlighting the insignificance of sexual attraction between Bob and Charlotte.
Sofia Coppola shows that she has studied her masters well. In one scene where Murray and Johansson share a bottle of sake, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita plays on the TV screen in front of them. She incorporates many shots looking out of windows, showing the beauty and chaos of Tokyo, making the city another player in this story. It is as if Tokyo is actively pushing the two characters together, through the disconnectedness that they feel to everyone around them.
True to the title of the film, there are some particularly funny scenes involving the language barrier between Japanese and English. Bill Murray keeps an excellent straight face through the absurd demands of the commercial director and Matthew Minami, the hyperactive TV host. Viewers can’t help but laugh when a mile of instructions is reduced to turn to the “Right side, and with intensity.” Lost in Translation is an A+ in terms of originality, picture, and sound. Coppola deliberately leaves many scenes without a backing track, to point out the boredom that her characters feel. Some viewers may be turned off by the slow pace of the film, but the funny scenes more than make up for the pace, giving the enjoyability of this movie an A. The gratuitous shots of Scarlett Johansson and the city of Tokyo will please all types of people looking for a film with eye candy.
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