A beautiful, heartfelt masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (11 February 2004)

'Lost in Translation', the second film from writer/ director Sofia Coppola, tells the story of Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), two Americans in Toyko who are are strangers to the culture and society of Japan. Bob used to be a famous actor, and is in Japan to film a whisky commercial. Charlotte is accompanying her work- aholic husband (Giovanni Ribisi) who is in Japan to do photography. The two have a hard time sleeping, and both go to the bar in the hotel at night where they slowly notice each other more and more until a friendship begins to form. Both people are married, Charlotte for only two years and Bob for twenty- five, and while both very much care about their spouses, they still are in need of a friend to fill in their sense of loneliness. The camera work by Lance Acord and the editing by Sarah Flack are superb, it makes the film feel like poetry, a very soft and nice touch of imagery. The performance by Bill Murray is excellent, he portrays a man who is growing weary of his life perfectly, and he goes through the film genuinely showing emotions. Scarlett Johansson is good too, fitting in the role of a young woman lost in life very well. The writing by Coppola is very touching and very human, the story feels real and fresh, and the wordplay is genuine and hilarious. Her direction is worth noting too, she rarely slips out of focus and allows the actors to live and breath, while also developing the story well. 'Lost in Translation' is one of the best films of the year, and is a sweet and sublime tale of friendship, and a film that will always stand in my memory. 10/10