Ryan - 3207 - Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation, background

Lost in Translation was directed by the well-known American director Sofia Coppola which was her third movie after "Lick the star" and "The Virgin Suicides" and was the most nominated movie. As for me, it was one of the most successful narrative films I have ever seen. different to many other movies, lost in translation was not focused on surprisingly plots or brilliant visual effects, but told a story which seemed to be flat. To be frank, it was a story that only those who had similar experiences or feelings could identified with. The emotions involved in this movie were revealed slowly by forwarding the plot.

Lost in Translation, encounter

The background of this movie is in Tokyo. The film details the encounter and brief relationship between Bob and Charlotte. The two Americans meet each other in Tokyo. Bob is a middle-aged famous American actor who came all the way to Tokyo to film a serious of advertisements for a whisky company. This is not his own wish but he has to earn money and keep his fame at his bottleneck period of his career from this job. He is struggling with his age and annoyance from his insipid family life. Charlotte, a young yale graduate, is accompanying her photographer husband on a business trip in Tokyo. However, as her husband is always busy with his jobs, Charlotte spends most of her time alone in this unacquainted city. Although she has some friends in Tokyo, she still feels lonely. Then the two irrelevant people start their unexpected relationships. Their acquaintanceship is not by accident or introduced by someone, they just gradually try to seek out each other after few casual encounters. There are some scenes show their come across, such as in the elevator or in the bar of the hotel.

Lost in Translation, lost in life in Tokyo

As we can see from the title of the movie, "lost" is a quite strong emotional word here. The precondition of the two main characters' relation is very special and unusual. If they are both in America, they might just brushed against each other on the road. Nonetheless, they are now both in Tokyo. A place that is full of foreigners, incomprehensive language and culture. Bob and Charlotte are apart from all of what they are familiar with. In one scene, Charlotte calls her friend in U.S. to talk about her life in Japan, she said she can feel nothing when goes to Tokyo's temple and even starts to study flower arrangement. This represents that she really need

something familiar with. The most important information that the movie title reveals to us is that the two Americans do not understand Japanese and cannot communicate with local people that makes them feel lost and isolated. Trying to show some language and culture barriers when they are staying in Tokyo, there are many low-key comedies in the film. For example: the showerhead is too low for Bob and the girl who enters into Bob's room and ask him to "lip" her

stockings. These details are all convincing audiences that Bob and Charlotte can hardly integrate the life in Japan. I think the director here smartly put the two characters into this given environment to explore humanity and feeling is quite a wise decision. These conditions are like catalysts that could magnify the human original nature and true feelings. when people feel lonely, they can be sensitive and pessimistic. There are many time and spaces left in the movie for characters to think and feel. It is unusual for a film that those standstills can make the film boring. However, the thinking of life from those characters could also leave spaces for audiences to comprehend the life.

Lost in Translation, emotions

The film studies some topics in depth such as love, marriage and life. And characters in the movie have abundant emotions expressed. Coppola represents her ideas of those issues by shot the emotions of characters. I believe the most success factor of Lost in Translation is that it is thought provoking. It could make audiences to think about many things after watching the movie. I can feel the loneliness and confusions that Bob and Charlotte experience when I watch the film. The director uses many scenes to show the characters' feelings and emotions. As a middle aged man, Bob is at his downhill of his life, both in love and career. Bob's 25 years marriage has wore down his passionate to life. When he stays in Tokyo, he could always receive messages or calss from his wife to ask about the decoration problems about their house in America. One of them is even a fax from America at early morning. Family life to him is all about

kids and odds and ends. There is one shot in the movie that he lost in thought in bathtub after

answering the call from his wife, he feels tired and depressed. I am also thinking about the meaning of his marriage to him after so long time. I think his family could only be a habit and responsibility to him but not much love involved. The close-up shot of his facial expression of answering phone calls from his wife shows that he feels dejected an gloomy. So when he meets Charlotte, she must be a fresh and unexpected element in his depressing life. Charlotte's beauty and vitality makes Bob feel back to his young age. In this special place, Charlotte becomes his last straw to clutch at. this can be seen from the shot that he meets Chalotte at the bar. Then turns to Charlotte, she is a well-educated girl who studies philosophy. This characteristic makes her easily to penetrate the other's thoughts and get bored with those tiresome conversation. This can be evidenced from her reaction at the bar when listening to the others' conversation.

Her major in university teaches her to think and feel of life. But after she went to the temple in Tokyo, she could feel nothing there. It might because of the culture difference between her education and Japanese tradition. She feels confused as she cannot find her belief in Japan. And the worst thing is , she feels that the beautiful actress might be her rival in love.

Lost in Translation, relationship

The relationship between Bob and Charlotte remains at the film's core, and remains platonic despite strong sexual undercurrents. They have no sexual contact. The director specially adds one scene in the movie that they lay on one bed to talk about their lives without having sex.

What Coppola wants to express might be that Bob and Charlotte need friends, maybe special friends, but not those sexually related. They are both lonely and feel empty inside their hearts, they want to find someone who could fill up their hearts. They both have families and they care about them. However, they have strong attractions to each other, so they are more than just friends. One scene in the movie is that in one morning, Charlotte saw a woman in Bob's room and feels angry about it. If they are just friends, Charlotte would not angry about this. And for

Bob, if he treats Charlotte as only a friend or someone not important, he will ask to have sex with Charlotte and does not care about her feelings like that woman he slept with. So as we can say that, between Bob and Charlotte, a deep bond of friendship takes root, which leads to something more sublime than what we normally see between male and female characters in movies. They might love each other, but their relationship can only ends up with a goodbye in an excited street.

Lost in Translation, scenery of the city

There are massive shots of the Tokyo city, both day and night sceneries. When Bob first arrives in Tokyo, he sits inside the car and looks outside, there is a long-time scene for the city view of Tokyo, full of Japanese words. The director wants to show here that Tokyo is a totally strange place to Bob and presents his confusion and nervousness of living in Japan. Other scenes that show Tokyo is a flourishing and prosperous city are used to set off the loneliness of the two main characters. In comparison with the lively city, Bob and Charlotte are so lonely and negligible. The theme of the movie is reflected in this filming technique.