Main star = Tokyo, Co-starring Bill Murray

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2004)

"You have to see Lost in Translation before you go..."
Pretty much all I heard when I told several friends I was going to Tokyo.

In actuality, I made a point of NOT watching this film before I went and how glad I was, when I arrived.
In total, I think I viewed this movie 5 times whilst staying at my hostel in Azabu-Juban. I don't remember suggesting we watch it once but after the first time, I wasn't in any hurry to switch it off.
Viewing Lost in Translation in one of Tokyos 23 wards (Minato-Ku), surrounded by Japanese, Spanish, Canadian, French and American Backpackers is about as good a location as one could possibly imagine. Having spent two days in the City, I had very little knowledge of Japan but JUST enough to stop LIT spoiling too many of the surprises.
The first thing that struck me was the cinematography. On my first viewing, I had little interest in the role of either Murray or Johansson. The film seemed to capture perfectly the intensity of the heavily-urbanized areas, the sheer chaos that neither London or New York can compete with. The whole feeling of being the only gaijin in an otherwise homogenous society.

Subsequent viewings enabled me to get a feel for the characters and, despite having no empathetical feelings towards either one of them, appreciate their roles and contribution towards the feature as a whole. As Bob Harris, a protagonist whose problems seemingly result from his failure to fully recognise how much he truly has, Bill Murray gives a wonderful performance. Johansson's drippish character is also played very well but like Harris, she seems desperate to invent conflicts plus has a visual-facade that hides the reality of her true shallowness. Indeed, Charlotte is a most objectionable character with whom only those viewers who find their lives too void of actual difficulties, could actually connect with. However, she is the perfect complement to Murray's Harris in this sense.
I gave this film a 9 because Coppola genuinely captured some of Tokyos Spirit in a way few films have managed (for any city) before.
As a final point - I would like to make it clear that none of the Japanese persons in my company, found the humor offensive at any point. In fact, the stocking lipping scene was even more hilarious for them than for myself.