Still great

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2006)

With Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola has deftly combined two themes in one film. The first and most obvious is that of two people who share an isolated romance in other another country. When Bob and Charlotte meet, they are both submerged in a place that is, culturally, totally foreign to each. The awkwardness of being a fish out of water becomes evident when they first see each other on the elevator. Their oddness stands out and enables them to recognize each other as kindred spirits for the moment. It is this sense of isolation that allows them to meet up and become friends. It is highly unlikely that they would have befriended each other in downtown Manhattan.
The next theme Coppola uses is that of the May/December romance. Romance between a young woman and a much older man has been explored in various ways over the years, but this is the most effective example I have seen. Since both characters are married, each is constrained from consummating the relationship. With the extreme difference in their ages, Bob and Charlotte are approaching marriage from opposite sides of the time line. When Bob does cheat on his wife, it is with some lounge singer who is considerably closer to his age. The viewer gets the impression that he knows the singer can "handle it" much more than Charlotte would be able to. He seems to want to preserve Charlotte's innocence here, rather than shatter her youth by seducing her and forcing her to see all the baggage he carries with him.
Coppola is unusually clever at weaving these two themes together and showing that two people who are out of their usual circumstances can find each other and learn from one another, without having to fully enter each other's world. It is to the director's credit that Bob and Charlotte do not kiss until the end of the film. When it finally happens, Bob whispers something into Charlotte's ear and she begins to cry. I interpret this to be some variation of, "Stay married, but when things get rough, remember our time together." This was a very powerful scene and is what elevates the film above merely being entertaining into the category of excellence.