Straight forward and honest.

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2004)

I really like going to the movies and watching a film simply tell its story. No bangs. No surprises. No jumps. No serial killer. No `underlying meaning' that's one-step away from being written in all caps across the screen and crammed down the audience's throat as if we're not bright enough to get it. Sofia Coppola steps forward and tells her tale, plainly, simply, intelligently . . . and intimately. I love this film for its smaller scope and subtlety.
One of my gripes about cinema is that too many films do not convince me that they have a good understanding of their own subject matter/characters. Sure, the film knows -about- given issue . . . but it doesn't -know- the issue. I've gotten used to this with action films (Matrix Trilogy, Star Wars Prequels, T3, Bad Boys 2), horror (randomly pick a flick; any flick . .. if you find one that contradicts my point on the first try I'll be incredibly impressed), but one expects a bit more from, say, dramas.

Lost in Translation, however, really convinced me that Sofia Coppola knew what she was writing, that Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson knew who they were portraying, and really brought these characters to life through the subtleties of expression. Epic tales have a tendency to gloss over these fine details - epic tales (to a degree) can get away with neglect - but fine details are the heart and soul of a film like Lost in Translation who zooms in on the personal thoughts and lives of its characters. The success and/or failure rests solely in its ability to convince us the film is honest. Lost in Translation succeeds.
Of course, that's not to downplay the efforts of an epic tale (Matrix Trilogy) who has its own set of daring moves and gambles behind the production (namely justifying the price tag). Simply put, Lost in Translation is a different flavor of daring . . . Love or hate Lost in Translation, I think the audience walks away loving/hating the film for its heart and not the flash. And I have far more respect for Sofia Coppola for filming her own way and, most importantly, putting the heart of the film at before anything else. That is daring . . . the type of daring I prefer in cinema.