Lost in Translation Anaysis --- Cynthia 3174

Analysis Lost in Translation
Name of the movie:
Directed and written by Sofia Coppola
Mains Actors: Bill Murray as Bob Harris
Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte
Giovanni Ribisi as John (Charlotte’s husband)


Lost in Translation was Sofia Coppola’s second feature film. It was screened at 2003. The movie talks about some very tender feeling is happening between a middle age man and a young woman when they are in Tokyo. A strange city and different cultures made those two people who are from America tired and confused. They meet each other when they both feel lost. Tokyo, it is a beautiful city, fashionable, exciting and full of passion. This movie made people to think about a question why those two people in this story they lost in this kind of city.

“Sophia Coppola is a better filmmaker than her dad. But she is an acquired taste and Lost In Translation is a film that makes demands on the audience much as early French new wave movies did. Young Coppola is also a filmmaker who has swallowed Andre Bazin whole - film is observational, naturalistic, not about artificially pumped up plotting and "character's journey". It's about people. Real, often inarticulate, incomplete people who will stay that way for the journey of the movie - as actual folks tend to do with their actual lives.”
“Bill Murray (in his best role since Groundhog Day - is an actor reduced to doing Suntory Whisky commercials in Tokyo. He's not happy camper and, as he says, he could be doing theatre somewhere else. But that's just an alibi - he knows he wanted the dough and the gig - he's hit the wall, in life, in love.”
----- Jonathan Dawson


The first shot, a woman lie down there and she is only put underwear on. This shot is around 30 seconds without music and dialogue only a woman is breathing. Imagine when a woman can wear like that at home, must be nobody is home or no guest. At the first shot, already show us lonely and lost.

The story starts with Bob Harris sit in the taxi and look around Tokyo. Look at buildings and colorful lights pass from the car’s window. His face looks curious and maybe a little bit exciting but more confused. He is living a hotel and working day time. He has to face to language problem that let he feels frustrated. He starts lose passion to his job. Meanwhile, Charlotte is living this hotel who is a young woman. Her husband John is working in Tokyo and he is a photographer. Always go out to work and he has to leave Charlotte alone in the hotel. That also let Charlotte feels lonely and frustrated. A middle age man and a young woman stay in the same situation. They don't know each other before. But for a moment they're in different suites in the same impossibly posh Tokyo hotel. The accidental relationship develops between Bob and Charlotte.

In Bob's room, he sits quietly in his bed and watches television before going out for dinner. A couple of guys recognize Bob, and they begin talking to him. In his bed, Bob lays there exhausted until his fax machine begins printing, and he receives a message asking for help putting together a bookcase.

In the next room, two newlyweds enjoy themselves. The girl, Charlotte, she is awake, so she gets up.

Bob Harris is an American movie star. The Japanese woman who is working for him lack of speaking correct English just makes Bob uncomfortable. And his 25 years marriage is crush down. Charlotte is just there for her photographer husband. She loves her husband but she does not like he is working too much and left her alone in the hotel all the time. She also doesn’t like that he is working a lot with an American actress named Kelly.

When Bob is talking on phone with his wife and kids, his face does not look in love and happy only can feel his tired and bored. Otherwise, it was raining one day, Charlotte walk on the street alone. Her umbrella is transparent. It is gorgeous when the rain dropped on the umbrella. Is this a coincidence? Because no matter how gorgeous the background and the rain, we still can through the umbrella to see Charlotte’s face. She is melancholic and confused. At night, whatever how many lights make this city so colorful but Bob and Charlotte cannot find anything belong to them own.

Two American people with different age and different sex but both of them lost in Tokyo because language and culture. They cannot understand TV program and they cannot truly into the city. Even they are both living a luxury hotel with good view from the room. Through some shots we can know they are living in the PARK HYATT. This is the hotel which is over 5 stars. That means they do not need to worry about money but still cannot find where they belong to in this city. Actually they are not alone but they are lonely and unhappy.

Bob and Charlotte's first few encounters are casual on an elevator, in a bar. Probably they did not realize what is happening between them. They begin to seek out one another and a bond develops. They eventually spend nearly every waking hour together, holding deep conversations and finding ways to avoid the eventual parting that both know must occur. They are relationship is based on they really need someone to talk with. But until the end, they never cross the line into an affair even obviously their relationship is over just friendship. At what stage a young woman and a middle age man will turn into a relationship. Call them soul mate? How Charlotte and Bill discover they are soul mates will be cherished for years to come. Or just because they are lonely that is why they stay with each other. Think about if they are not in Tokyo, if they are still in America, probably everything is not going to happen.

There is sort of a tricky scene where they are in the same room and they are watching “8 ½” and they are talking about stuff. They both face to the TV then talking with each other. Actually they still do not understand what did say on TV. But this time they are together. Whatever how complicated in their mind. They have each other that moment.

Do you remember when Bob was singing a song with his terrible voice and all of the words about pain and suffer. Charlotte sings “I’m special” he sings along, smiles and nods. A young woman wants attention, and the tired depressed older man wants to find someone or something with which to connect. Cut to outside the karaoke room a few minutes later. May many people will wonder what is going to happen next shots. The story until now is love story.

After Bob and Charlotte stay up late talking on the bed. Charlotte is lying on her side towards Bob, and he reaches out to stroke her foot. This shot proves they need each other. It looks heart warm. Their problems experienced include isolation, underlying assumptions about physical journey and cultural clashes and communication barriers.

The music that with especially notable song selections from The Jesus and Mary Chain, Phoenix, Happy End, Kevin Shields, and My Bloody Valentine. It is almost perfect. In this movie, the music always made people feel sad and sentimental. Telling people life is how hard.

In the whole movie, the color is not very warm, even main actors make up also is very light and a little bit cold. This point wants to show Bob and Charlotte gets lost in Tokyo. Only the street background was colorful that is just compare Bob and Charlotte’s mind.

Very much a mood piece, the film's deft balance of humor and poignancy makes it both a pleasurable and melancholy experience. When Bob told Charlotte he is going to leave. She was crying. He asked her why you crying. She said I will miss you. It must be very complicated in her deep heart. But she can say anything let him stay.

At the end of the movie, one may easily view things in terms of a very particular thing which Charlotte did not say anything to Bob. She was just smile. Both of them know, it is all over between them. They have to forget about each other. Their love was true but it was based when they were lonely. Charlotte still loving her husband, Bob and her still have their own life. Like a dream for this two American. Maybe they do not have chance to see each other anymore in their life. Charlotte smiled to Bob in the end then she goes away. That moment they are still thinking about what happened those days. They want to keep that beautiful memory. That is a beautiful ending. Give audiences a lot of space to think about the story and think about real life.