In the first few scenes of Lost in Translation, we are introduced to Bob Harris, an actor, who is now in Tokyo topromote a Japanese whisky. He is brought over to a studio to film its advert, and we are, like him, immediately plunged into a world of confusion. His inner thoughts must he going 'what on earth is going on?'. The video above shows that scene - and we are very much like him. There are no subtitles for us to understand the director's words - it is vital to the movie that we are placed in his shoes immediately.
Lost in Translation is one of those gems which you find and keep it in your heart forever. I had often neglected to begin to watch this as I never deemed it as important as many other films but boy, I now have that sense of regret that I didn't watch this earlier. This is truly a fantastic film, and it is definitely one of the best of all time.
We all, as humans, have this urge to do some soul searching at certain points in our lives - we are never sure what we want, and we are never sure whether the dream we are pursuing will ever be lived. The film, talks about two characters, specific characters, at specific points in their lives - one who's just gotten married, and graduated recently, and another who's perhaps at a midlife crisis - unsure as to how to proceed.
They both meet at a hotel bar in Tokyo due to their insomnia, and they strike up a friendship - at times intimate. Together they travel round the city, encounter many different things about the country, and they at the very same time try to ease through the cultural shock they have, together.
Whats unique about their relationship is how they're essentially going through the same conundrum, even though one is more experienced than the other. You would expect Bill Murray's character, Bob Harris, to be able to provide Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson), with all the answers and be able to guide her through this. He doesn't, because regardless whether you're 20, or 50, that feeling of being lost is the same - there isn't a quick fix - it is something that they have to figure out for themselves.
Sofia Coppola does such a fantastic job of tying the whole movie together - the situations, the characters, etc. She manages to create certain comedic moments without having to force the script too much, but rather by trusting in the situations she has around her. Look at this scene, in which Charlotte observes the video game culture in Japan:
It is done with perfection - these are things I see everyday, and I don't really find much humour in it, but we see this through Charlotte's eyes. And yes, although it might sound rather condescending, we have had our moments in which we certain occurrences in one's culture and laugh.
Bill Murray here deserves a special mention here, as he's done a superb job portraying Bob Harris. He does just enough to portray a man who's rather mellow, but yet very sarcastic and funny at the same time. Any other actor might have overplayed this role - but he pulls it off to perfection.
Lost in Translation is about two things - it is initially about the cultural shock that we all face when we visit a country. Many people talk about it, and attempt to prevent it by taking certain measures, but in practice, no one realises how much it hits us. Secondly, it is about the very specific points in our lives that we are lost in a certain transition that we are making - may it be Charlotte, who is the young ambitious type who hasn't got a clue on what she wants to do, or Bob, who's at perhaps the end of his career, and isn't to sure how to proceed. We will all eventually go through that, and there are no easy ways out of it.
This film is one to treasure, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Rating: 4.5/5
