Movie Review: Lost in Translation

This review has been a long time coming.

Not because I watched Lost in Translation when everyone else did, I didn't. I only just finally got round to it recently. I don't know how I managed to miss it. I love Bill Murray and, as you probably know, everyone else saw it and everyone else thought it was great. That might actually be why I haven't seen it. I haven't seen Juno yet, either.

So anyway, I'm 16,968 kilometres from most of my DVDs, so I've leaped boldly into the world of iTunes movie downloads. It's a strange world, seemingly plucked from a past where movies have no subtitle or audio options and full screen playback seems to take 5 - 10 minutes to sort itself out before actually showing me the movie I'm trying to watch.

I figured Lost in Translation would be a good starting point, given from what I knew of the plot: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen are lost souls who connect with one another in a foreign city. I'm in a foreign city. My soul is lost. Must be the movie for me. Plus, it was $10. Which pretty much sells itself when you are broke and unemployed and living off your credit card.

So, on to the review, which has now been even longer coming as I'm typing this freeform and tangents are flowing. What I knew of the plot was pretty much spot on. Yes, Bill Murray is in it. He plays Bill Murray, except a bit less successful and with some incredibly poignant comedy acting rather than the usual Bill Murrayisms. Also, Scarlett Johanssen is in it, before she got all big and starry. They are both awesome and I'm frankly attracted to both of them. They are lost souls in Tokyo, as expected. They forge a strong friendship, bordering on a romance. The movie is clever that way. Both characters know deep down that while their lost souls may be soul mates, it may just be the setting that makes it work.

I was hoping to find some personal meaning or something to help me deal with my personal case of lost in translation. But really, I don't have much in common with an ageing millionaire movie star or the spouse of a successful photographer. But I got more out of the movie than I was expecting. It has an overall sense of psychological maturity and truth that is very compelling. The two leads are amazing and the age difference just doesn't become an issue. I often enjoy "moments in time" stories such as this. The two characters have an amazing few days together and then its over. The memories, the sheer fact that such moments are possible, will tide them over for the rest of their lives.

I thought I'd be self conscious about Sophia Coppola's direction, it's the first movie of hers I've watched, but she is very adept at her craft. A lot of the movie feels like the travel movies we all make with our digital cameras and, while that could be a clunky choice, it isn't as it gives the audience the common grounding of travelling in a strange city.

I loved it.