“For Relaxing Times… Make It Suntory Time.”
I love films about ‘old souls’. Sofia Coppola’s sophomore effort is masterful in its depiction of two such people, Bob and Charlotte, who find each other in a foreign land, surrounded by hoards of people who seem oblivious to the complexities and possibilities of human connection.
Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, a reasonably famous actor who is a little past his marketable prime. He is in Tokyo to do a Suntory Whiskey commercial, bored out of his mind and feeling tremendously lonely despite the constant attention from fans and advertising execs. Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, a young woman wise beyond her years, who is in town with her photographer husband while he is on assignment shooting a rock band.
Bob is disillusioned and slightly depressed… Charlotte is feeling slightly ignored by her husband. You can tell that both of them are uncomfortable with other people — They do not make friends easily. But somehow, after a few chance encounters, glances across crowded elevators and knowing nods across hotel bars, they find each other. Their conversations appear to be in slow motion when compared with the hustle and bustle of Tokyo nightlife. Everyone around them seems to be so consumed with business, partying, selling, drinking and blabbing. Bob and Charlotte have thoughtful, meaningful conversation with a shared wit and sensibility that sets them apart from everyone else. Together, they find those magical moments in life when they feel like they’re the only two people on Earth. And it is all so sad, because it ultimately feels like a film about what might have been.
‘Lost in Translation’ is a great film because it captures those magical moments — The sly smiles, the inadvertent touches that linger a shade too long, the truly comfortable silences and the secret conversations. This film is about the little things that most people fly obliviously by while on their way to another meaningless encounter.
This is one of the most memorable couples in film history, which is odd when you consider that they are both married to other people. But Bob and Charlotte are memorable because they connect in ways that married couples are incapable of. Sure, marriages can have beautiful moments and profound connections. But they rarely sustain that initial wave of hope, those nervous butterflies, those breaks from the routine of destiny and day-to-day life. This relationship comes to Bob and Charlotte when they most need it. There may not be a physical connection here, but there is an emotional one that seems to invigorate them and gives them hope to carry on in this lonely world.
Consider the scene in the hotel room, as they are about to drift off into dreams, as their conversation meanders, but never wanes. It is one of the best scenes I have ever seen, beautifully written, masterfully shot. Charlotte blankly states, “I’m stuck. Does it get easier?” Bob replies, “No. Yes. It gets easier.” She jokes, “Oh yeah… look at you.” He says, “Thanks.” The final shot in that scene has Bob gently touching her foot as they fall asleep, and mumbling, “You’re not hopeless”. There is such tenderness in that moment.
I love this film. It is the kind of film that you will want to watch when you need to be reminded that you are not alone. However, it does require the viewer to provide something. It demands patience and it also asks that you have at least a minor familiarity with either Bob’s or Charlotte’s emotions. One has to be willing and able to admit that marriage is not always the pinnacle of human connection, that sometimes we need a new soul in our lives to provide a spark that might be lacking or lost.
Bob and Charlotte were lost until they found each other, and that final whispered moment will remain theirs, and only theirs, forever. I think that final scene promises, them and us, hope that they will meet again someday, in this world or the next.
‘Lost in Translation’ is one of the very best films of 2003. It is easy to understand why it is the most critically acclaimed film of the year, making more major top ten lists than any other film by far (Only ‘Mystic River’ and ‘Lord of the Rings 3′ came remotely close). Both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson deliver powerful performances, worthy of Oscar consideration. Sofia Coppola announces herself as a major player in the directorial ranks with this film… although her writing may be the more laudable of her talents. I will be first in line to see her next film. ‘Lost in Translation’ immediately contends for a spot in my ‘All Time Greats’ list… it is a glorious masterpiece.
