10 Years Lost in Translation
Looking back ten years at the world of film it is easy to see that many of the films released then are still in people’s minds. Films like Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Finding Nemo are as beloved as they’ve ever been. One of the most critically acclaimed films of 2003 however was Lost in Translation, an odd little picture that perfectly toed the line between tragedy and comedy. In my humble opinion, I believe that it’s one of the greatest films of all time and a decade on, I want to remind people of its excellence.
Lost in Translation follows a fading film star Bob Harris (Bill Murray) who crosses paths with and forms a bond with a young woman, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) who is travelling with her husband. They meet in Tokyo and together they come to terms with loneliness and culture shock in equal measure.
Perhaps one of the most appropriate comments that can be said is that this film works even if we’re not quite sure why. It manages to become a slow moving and brooding look at the nature of loneliness, mid-life crisis and wasted opportunity whilst also featuring slapstick hilarity – mostly in the form of Bill Murray’s inability to deal with Japanese culture. You know a film is onto something when it manages to include an absurd interaction with a Japanese prostitute whilst also depicting the unlikely relationship between two isolated people and still seem genuine.
The writer and director of the film is Sofia Coppola, daughter of the acclaimed Francis Ford Coppola. She was nominated for Best Director and won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Lost in Translation and it is easy to see why. If Francis Ford Coppola’s most influential and well-remembered film is The Godfather then this will probably be hers. She makes so many good decisions. The most prominent of these is choosing to keep Bob and Charlotte apart from each other at the beginning of the film. She slowly portrays each of their situations and their sense of loneliness which means that, when they do finally meet, it feels perfect. Narrative aside, Coppola is just as adept at shooting and creating the right pace. She manages to capture both the beauty and also the intimidating nature of Tokyo. Under a less talented director the film’s slow and low key nature would have eventually withered but she keeps it controlled and constantly interesting.
One of the smartest choices Sofia Coppola makes is casting Bill Murray in the lead role. She commented after its release that if Murray hadn’t accepted the role she would not have done the film. This is a tailor made if not heaven sent role for him and he is nothing short of exceptional. Murray is no stranger to broad comedy but there has always been a melancholic quality to his persona and rough appearance, which is why this performance works so well. Equally exceptional is Scarlett Johansson – her reserved style of acting is often considered bland but fits in impeccably with this film. Like Murray, she simply exists in the role.
Films like Lost in Translation don’t come around very often; films that get better with each viewing and continue to reveal more depth. It has been ten years since its release and it has not lost any of it significance or poignancy. Aided by terrific performances by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Coppola has created a modern day masterpiece.
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