Writer: Sofia Coppola
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray
Rated: 15
Running Time: 102 mins
Trailer: Quicktime, 480x270

Lost In Translation is a film that has caused a lot of debate so far. Some critics have lauded it as a modern masterpiece. Others have called it tripe. So, you might say itÂ’s a love it-or-hate it film. Personally, I loved it.

Lost In Translation follows two Americans in Tokyo, Japan. Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray) and Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson). Bob is a former movie-star who is now reduced to doing whiskey commercials for 2 million dollars a pop when he ‘could be doing plays’ and Charlotte is a philosophy graduate who is accompanying her rock photographer husband. On the surface, both of them are lost in a totally foreign culture, and that is where a great many of the laughs come from. Underneath that though, they are both very, very lost personally, and their time together is a time of self discovery.

And that’s pretty much it. I can’t spoil the plot of the film for you, because there isn’t any real plot, there is no over-arching story with twists and turns. And that is what a lot of people don’t like about the film. When I left the cinema, lots of people were saying things like ‘What was the point?’ and ‘There was no story’. Fair comment, because there wasn’t really a story in the traditional sense.

The point of Lost in Translation is in the characters and the interaction between them and their environment. This is the heart of the film. IÂ’ve never seen a film written or directed by Sofia Coppola before, but I am very impressed. For a film that is 102 minutes long, there wasnÂ’t really a huge amount of dialogue. There were quite long moments when there was no dialogue at all. When there was dialogue though, it meant something. And the directing, well the directing was fantastic. Not only capturing the charactersÂ’ issues perfectly, the film captured the spirit of Japan, and IÂ’m sure the film will make a great many people want to visit the country.

As for the acting, well it was brilliant. I donÂ’t know whether Sofia Coppola wrote the role of Bob Harris with Bill Murray in mind, but I wouldnÂ’t be surprised. He fit the role perfectly and really brought the character to life. He has an almost perfect sense of timing which really shines through. Scarlett Johansson is simply a marvel. At only 19, she has a very subtle, meaningful way of acting that Coppola really brought out in the way she directed the film.

At the end of the day though, this film is not for everyone. ItÂ’s very slow paced, and although it is funny, itÂ’s not a laugh a minute. Still, I would urge everyone to go and see it. If you donÂ’t like it at the end, youÂ’ve still experienced it and itÂ’s not an experience IÂ’d want to miss.


(Edited by Maffrew 25/01/2004 18:46)