In
the leisurely-paced Lost In Translation, two lonely Americans bond during
their stay in Tokyo. Their bond isn’t
based on anything romantic or sexual, and yet it was strong enough to have
captivated me for 102-minutes.
Lost In Translation
is the second film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, the moody filmmaker
whose features manage to evoke the dreaminess of David Lynch. Ms. Coppola has a
knack for creating sedated atmospheres for her characters to float through. This
was obvious in her arty debut, The Virgin Suicides. While her two films
deal with different issues, the somber vibe so easily sustained in Virgin
Suicides is very much present throughout Lost In Translation.
Considering the original
screenplay was conceived of by its director, as opposed to her debut which was
an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel, Lost In Translation is
obviously a film based on personal experiences. Scarlett Johansson stars as
Charlotte, the 20-year old American who tags along with her workaholic
photographer husband (played by Giovanni Ribisi) to Tokyo. While her energetic
hubby is away snapping pictures, Charlotte aimlessly wanders around the city.
Staying in the same hotel as Charlotte is Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an
American actor in town to shoot a whiskey commercial. Both characters are lonely
and have difficulty adjusting to their foreign environment, especially the
advance gadgets in their hotel rooms. After the two spark a late-night chat at
the hotel bar, Charlotte and Bob become inseparable. They eat sushi, play
videogames, attend karaoke parties and engage in meaningful conversations about
adulthood and marriage.
GRADE: A-
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2003 by Shaun
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