Following on from The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost In Translation (2003) is the second feature from director Sofia Coppola. In the film we follow two parallel characters in Tokyo and their experiences within the city. As the film progresses the two meet and become close. They appear to be joined together by their mutual experience of living in a city that seems alien to them, hence the title ‘Lost In Translation’.
The film presents an interesting concept. With the idea of having two people who are very much opposites age wise, Murray playing an aging actor Bob Harris married 20 years and Johansson is Charlotte, a recent college graduate. Yet in their new surroundings they are united by there shared American culture. This is an engaging subject matter, however you can’t help feeling whilst watching the movie that the story seems to strain from this.
As the film moves forward there grows a sense of loathing, which instigates in a repugnant fashion from the characters. Here there seems to be a large air of self-pity, which really grinds after an extenuated period of viewing the film. Both of the leads are shown to be in dysfunctional relationships and in each other find a level of comfort. Bob’s relationship with his wife has become dull and mundane, whereas Johansson’s character feels neglected by her new husband who is often on assignment as a photographer.
Nonetheless the problem often comes across as being the protagonists themselves. In scenes where Bob talks to his wife on the phone, he seems to be the one who comes across as distant. His wife is ringing him to try and include him in the decision making of the renovations on their house. If she is guilty of anything, it is a certain naivety that comes across in relation to Bob’s distant expressions over the phone. Charlotte on the other hand seems in a pervasive state of post college blues. She appears from all readings to be lost and distant to her own state in life. Seemingly she is suffering from a lack of motivation or, moreover a direction on to what she wants to do. This would be fine if it was a remote theme played out in the undercurrent of the movie but instead her self-pity is externalised to the point of disassociation from the audience.
Most of us are aware of how the unknown future can be frightening. But to have one of the main character developments be the reveal of what is supposed to be a relatable level of self-loafing is frankly quite pitiful. When there are people starving in the world and others forced to live through conditions of inhumanity, we are apparently supposed to fully embrace our empathy for a young college graduate staying in a luxury hotel in Tokyo with her newly wed husband because she’s “lost”? Give me a break!
However this by no means detracts from other aspects of the films presentation. The Cinematography is striking, using to great effect the natural lighting of the city skylines. The art design on the film is also very effective. Throughout the film it really helps to strike out the themes and the use of contrast in the set and costume designs really help to highlight the feeling of loss and alienation. The actors also give strong character defining portrayals, which help to bring the characters to life in all aspects. Murray is charismatic and yet challenged by his environmental conditions, while Johansson is engaging, yet distantly apathetic.
The key problem I believe comes from the fact that at times the characters that the filmmakers clearly want us to relate to are unsympathetic, or at the very least selfish. Bob latter into the film cheats on his wife. Charlotte upon finding out about this is clearly upset and their relationship for a while becomes strained. Yet up until this point their relationship has been a purely platonic one. There are a few hints at further feelings but never anything that pushes beyond this. They both seem driven by there own selfish desires as a form of filling the void for something else. Because of this the romantic aspect of their relationship is doomed from the start, and would only ever work within the context of their current setting.
Concluding, the film does achieve the type of dispersive atmosphere I believe Coppola set out to create. The film itself works well in most aspects as a story of distant strangers becoming close in a foreign land. Yet it is important to note that for a film which sets out to smoothly entwine different themes into its narrative, it does at times seem to lose track of whether it wants to be subtle or blunt in its execution. The main problem here being that the filmmakers believe they have crafted this cool, clever, collective work and yet they appear to be completely unaware of some of the pieces own flaws.
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