Very Original!

Rating: 9/10 (4 March 2008)

I woke this morning with the thought of Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation at the forefront of my mind. Having watched the film last night, I was buzzing to watch it again and determined to discover what her next project would be; so as I always do when in need of movie-related information, I visited the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) homepage. The site was adorned with news of the previous night's Oscars awards ceremony but as I scanning the list briefly I received two surprises - one was of course counting Return of the King's 11 awards, but my happiest surprise was to see that Sofia had won an Oscar for the film that I had fallen in love with just 12 hours ago. The talented Sofia Coppola received four nominations this year, winning the much-deserved award for "Writing (Original Screenplay)." I find this ironic as the film's experimental style involves what seems like at least 100 'inserts' and very few scenes with dialogue. But then that is the film's beauty - that Murray and Johansson's chemistry (excuse the cliché) radiates through their acting and the well-directed timing of their few deliveries, leaving viewers on an emotional high throughout the movie.
The film's hundred or so inserts consist primarily of shots of Tokyo which Sofia's crew translated (under her unique direction) from still shots she took whilst touring the city. The inserts can only be described as a 'scented pot pourri' with their rich variety of camera techniques and colourful (sometimes unusual) subject matter. I began watching the film in a confused awe until I felt I could understand the style of the movie. Experiencing this visual-stimulation tornado in the mind alone is worth watching the film for in my opinion. As well as the treat to the eyes and heart, the film's medley from around the world was a treat for the ears, begging to be played at sky-scraping volumes.
If Sofia's entry into film industry was purely nepotism, it is clear from her work that she herself has the talent as both a writer and a director to become successful in it. All that remains is the torturous wait until Sofia finds or creates another work of visual poetry.