"Let's never come here again because it will never be as much fun."

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2007)

'Lost in Translation' is a story of feeling lonely in a megacity of 12 million people. Tokyo, Japan is a city constantly on the move, never stopping to rest and always abuzz with flashing lights, loud music and happy and frivolous inhabitants. However, both over-the-hill actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and photographer's wife Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) find themselves in the midst of this frenetic chaos, and yet they both harbour that empty feeling of boredom and purposelessness. It is only via an intimate  though entirely platonic  relationship that the two trapped beings are able to discover a certain level of satisfaction, and to carry on their lives with an air of meaning.
The film was directed by Sofia Coppola, daughter of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola ('The Godfather' trilogy, 'Apocalypse Now'), who is fast becoming a respected cinematic figure in her own right. 'Lost in Translation' has a very distinctive film-making style, courtesy of Coppola's intelligent, thoughtful screenplay and Lance Acord's hand-held cinematography. The camera does exceedingly well in capturing the lights and colours of a hectic Tokyo, creating the impression of a city that is very much alive, and yet strangely isolated from the viewer, as if in a dream. This follows very well with the general theme of the film, as the two main protagonists struggle to fit into a confusing and unfamiliar foreign environment. One scene highlights this alienation hilariously well, as an exasperated Bob Harris (Murray) takes instruction from a Japanese director about the filming of an advertisement for Suntory whisky. As the director spouts off a long series of commands in his native tongue, the translator returns with a single very brief instruction, to which a confused Harris declares, "Is that everything? It seemed like he said quite a bit more than that."
When it comes to deadpan humour, Bill Murray does it better than anybody since Buster Keaton. Here, he uses his talents to great effect, conveying in very few words his character's feeling of being completely and utterly lost. Amid a very strained relationship with his resentful wife, Harris feels that his career has long since fallen to pieces, and he begrudges the fact that he has resorted to foreign celebrity advertising to make a living. 'Lost in Translation' also secured the career of a budding young actress in Scarlett Johansson, whose Charlotte is often left alone and forgotten whenever her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) has work to do. The relationship that the two adults develop, despite the significant age difference, is never anything less than completely believable. Perhaps surprisingly, given its modest budget of $4 million, 'Lost in Translation' proved a convincing commercial success, and did very well at the 2004 Academy Awards, winning the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, in addition to nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Murray), Best Director and Best Picture.