Let's see how many analogies I can put in this review

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 2009)

In "Lost in Translation," Sophia Coppola proves that less really is more. The movie is sparse in every way--sparse in dialogue, sparse in environment, sparse in agenda. Set in Japan, it has the feel of a neatly-trimmed bonsai. Watching "Lost in Translation" for the first time, you may get the feeling that nothing is really happening. But that is only because you have been accustomed to movies of a different kind. Most movies are like temperamental little children. They stamp their feet and beg you to love them.
"Lost in Translation" is not like these movies. It is mature, quiet in tone. It never screams but instead flows like a gentle river. And as the undercurrents lap at your feet, you suddenly feel something you have never felt before and know you are in the presence of something indescribably powerful.
You might watch "Lost in Translation" for the first time with certain assumptions. Forget these assumptions. You'll want to place this movie into some type of category, for the sake of convenience. Don't try. "Lost in Translation" resists categorization. It doesn't quite know where to put itself. Put it under "L," for "Life." Life doesn't fit into one category either.
There is Laughter in this movie. There is also Love. But it isn't the type of Love that runs to you and gives you a long, passionate kiss. This Love stands in the corner shyly, unsure of itself. It is no flamboyant seductress but a young schoolgirl. It is delicate, innocent. It is curiously remarkable.
This movie is about unexpectedly being rescued, but not in the conventional way. No evil madmen or deadly situations hold the main characters captive. The enemies here are the enemies each of us face every day--alienation and melancholy. The atmosphere of the film, foreign and cold, exudes these feelings. Only in such an atmosphere could something truly magical occur. And something truly magical does, but only if you have the eyes to see it. If you don't the first time, give it another chance. You owe it to yourself. Because "Lost in Translation" is absolutely perfect. And perfection is not something that happens very often.