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@reelworld_review
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Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Year: 2003
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An aging movie star and young, neglected woman form a curious bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
I would consider this one of my favorite movies, but I’ve only watched it maybe three or four times in the seven years since I’ve seen it (which is low for me, I rewatch my favorites a lot). That is because this movie produces a very specific kind of emotion in me: an aching melancholic feeling. Lost in Translation does not embody simple sadness, but emptiness, loneliness, and uncertainty about the future.
Bill Murray gives a really marvelous performance as Bob Harris, an older actor beginning the slide into obscurity. The reason he’s in Tokyo? To film a whiskey commercial. He gets paid well, but is unsatisfied with this work. Scarlett Johansson, in one of her earlier roles, plays the pensive and neglected Charlotte, whose husband, a photographer, is frequently absent and preoccupied with colleagues. The relationship between Bob and Charlotte is odd but understandable with how lonely they both feel, and they give very genuine and
vulnerable performances.
Sofia Coppola offers a really beautiful and intimate vision of Tokyo. While there is plenty of energetic sequences full of bright lights, upbeat music, nightclubs, and general recklessness, there are many quiet moments. Charlotte visits a shrine in Kyoto and sees a traditional wedding procession. The pair have an incredibly tense and awkward lunch at a small, empty restaurant. Bob spends a lot of time and lonely moments in the huge bathtub at the hotel. It’s a nice balance of excitement and tranquility. And this film isn’t just feelings of emptiness all the time, it’s very funny. Bill Murray naturally shows off his comedic chops and brings some much needed levity to the film.
The editing and cinematography are both unique and fitting for this movie, almost dreamlike in some parts and unflinchingly real in others. One of my favorite aspects of this film is the music, I think it’s used very well to help convey the emotion of each scene. In particular the song in the last scene, "Just Like Honey" by the Jesus and Mary Chain, evokes a strange mix of sadness and the feeling that everything will be okay in the end.
I find that this movie lingers in a way many others don’t. It speaks to a certain emptiness I’m sure everyone feels at some point in their lives better than any other film I’ve seen.
By @reelworld_review
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