Two Souls Connecting

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2019)

A part of me feels as if this is one of those must see movies, especially with the end scene where Bob whispers something into Charlotte's ear and the only two people in the entire world that know what was said are Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen, and neither of them are talking (though apparently some techy geeks have managed to find out what was said, which sort of does spoil the magic of the moment). Yeah, this film is actually pretty good, and certainly deserves a place on the mantle piece of cinematic classics (something that not many movies these days come even close to).
The story is about two people, Bob Harris and Charlotte, who happened be in Tokyo. To say that neither of them want to actually be there is an understatement. Bob is here because he is being paid two million dollars to appear in some Japanese commercials, while Charlotte is here because her husband is doing some photo shoots. However, Charlotte seems to spend her time puttering around the apartment, and occasionally going out, but quickly becoming bored.
It is basically about two people who are lost in an alien world, and yeah, you really can't get any place that is more alien than Tokyo. What is interesting is that in one scene we see the colourful neon lights that make up the city, but from another angle we discovered that this is really only a surface covering of a city that in reality is pretty dull and drab. The views from the upper levels of the hotel really don't show a city that is really all that great.
Also, being Japan means that there is something that is, well, lost in translation. Bob struggles to be able to even understand what his employers want him to do, and he is basically counting down the days until he can get away from there. Charlotte, well, she just really seems to be hanging on the tail coats of her husband, not really being able to connect with his friends. Bob also seems to exist in this bubble, where the only reason people actually interact with him is because he happens to be this famous movie star, one whose glory days are long gone (which is probably why Bill Murray was chosen to play the role).
It turns out that the only connections that they have in the city is with each other, yet there is also this tension that seems to exist between the two - is there a sexual attraction between them, and is one of them going to make the first move, and if so, who will. Once again, while this tension exists, neither of them is willing to act on it, because, well, there is a problem with the language, and also the age barrier. In fact, it just does not seem right that there would exist anything beyond this - this is what makes the film so good - the tension that exists, and a tension that we know neither can actually act on.
Yeah, this is actually a pretty good film, one that is certainly worth watching, especially for that final scene. Do yourself a favour.