Sunny - 3002 - Lost in Translation

Film Analysis

Film: Lost in Translation
Name: Sunny
Student ID: 3002
Date: 19/04/2010

Picture from website

This movie is made by Sofia Coppola in 2003. This film only use 27 days to shoot. Even if this movie is a low cost to made, it won Oscar, another 70 wins and 59 nominations. This is a miracle. Sofia Coppola’s father is Francis Ford Coppola. She is born in the director of family. Her first movie is The Virgin Suicides in 1999 and Lost in Translation is her second movie by her. When I first to watch this film, I cannot feel anything. It’s so bored, but now when I watch it again, it give me different feeling.

In this film, Scarlett Johansson plays a heroine (Charlotte), and Bill Murray plays a hero (Bob Harris). It is talking about two American （Charlotte and Bob） in the different country. Bob Murray is an old star, and he is sick of all life about his charm, family. He hates everything to live. Charlotte is young and beautiful university graduates. She married with a cameraman two years ago, and she come Tokyo to live with her husband. Her husband is crazy about his job and almost ignores his wife Charlotte. In Tokyo, Charlotte doesn’t have any friend; she can not pour out her vexation. They are both lonely and depressed. One day, they meet together in the pub. After they are all lonely and then they do a series of act. They try to adapt to life in Tokyo. In the end, they find something like faith to happy live get together.

Shot by myself

When this movie start, the first picture is medium size and it show the back of girl lay on the bed. She looks like sleep. In this time, it doesn’t have any noise. It’s so quiet and then the music starts. Then the voice of the airplane is starting.
Next shot is second picture in this movie. It use close up to show this man wake up to see the different country from taxi.
Here, it looks like a passage type. From the quiet to noise, and different background to show two people feel different lonely. It take us to noisy Tokyo.

Shot by myself

These shot use extreme close up to show a letter form Bob’s wife. Only some sentences in the letters, especially the second letter is sending at 4:30am. It euphemistically describe Bob’s life is not happy with his family. The time difference, he can not conform.

Shot by myself

When cameras do these two shots, it doesn’t move. From these shots, it describe Bob is so lone deeply. First shot, Bob stand around the people, he is the tallest one in them. It shows different culture. When Bob go back his room, he listens to the music, but he can not understand. The background is dense building, and he just sit on the bed. It is comparison strongly.

Shot by myself

These two shot still use contrast to show Bob is lonely. First shot, every people is talking together, only Bob sit by the desk alone. And then somebody is talking about him. They can not believe a famous star will come here. From these words, it means Bob is an old star.

Shot by myself

Bob can not sleep, and then the camera change to the other side. The picture show a girl Charlotte sits by the window. The background is dense building, and the sound only have grunt of his husband. It describe Charlotte is lonely at night and can not adapt new environment.

Shot by myself

These shots are that show different language to make some problems. The director walks around Bob and talking something to attention. The shot only medium size for director and background is use long shot for Bob to show Bob sit on the sofa to listen, but he can not understand. In the end, he gives up to discuss and make some problems. He can not finish director’s work.

Shot by myself

The movement of camera is keep. This shot describe Charlotte call her friend to say her feeling in Tokyo. The other side of phone only sends her friend busy voice. The camera angle is from the back of Charlotte. The light of this shot is the cold tune. It shows Charlotte is lonely and helpless.

Shot by myself

This shot is after Bob and Charlotte second meet in the hotel, and Charlotte send a cup of beer to Bob. Then Bob go back. He stands in the lift and looks his face in the mirror. This angle of camera shoots from the back of Bob. It uses the medium size to shoot and describe his feeling. In this shot, he smiles, he thinks he would have more charm in middle age.

Shot by myself

This shot is at same night. Charlotte and Bob both can not sleep at night. They all hold remote control to control television. The same angle of camera and some can not understand TV program to describe they are lonely and insomnia.

Shot by myself

This shot is that show Charlotte’s husband is crazy about his job and almost ignores his wife. This shot of camera shoot around Charlotte. Firstly, it shoots the outside scenery through the glass. It is all tall building and the light of shot looks cold. It just like Charlotte’s feeling in the mind. It is depression, lonely and absently to live.

Shot by myself

When Charlotte first come to game house, she only watches people play alone. The first picture is from Charlotte invite Bob go out with her friends. The second picture is from Bob invite Charlotte go to pub, and then run away. Different environment, get same feeling. Before they only stay in the hotel and bemused to see the outside noisy. Now, they run in the street. They study live in Tokyo and they get good friendship.

Shot by myself

These two shot is from the first date in KTV. They come there, but still sing some lonely songs. They can not cover up their lonely feeling. In the first shot, Bob do a wrong thing, he watch the camera. In this data, they get noise to quiet. It just like Charlotte take Bob back to school life.

Shot by myself

In this shot, they are still not going to sleep after they are go out together. The other side, Bob is same to her. And then Bob invite Charlotte come his room to watch TV together. After that, they lie on the bed and talk about their mind. It is a deepness talking. The angle of camera is from the top and does not move it. There is not any background sound. It is like friend talking heart to heart.

Shot by myself

This shot is last shot. There is no ending in this story. The writer and director Sofia Coppola make suspense in the end. They hold and whispers. The shot is close up and the background is using some computer technique to blur and the color is not cold like before, it get warmer. It make them is point. And then the music starts and takes us to leave Tokyo. This is answer for the movie start. It makes audience to think they want.

When this movie start, Sofia Coppola shoot a lot of night scene in Tokyo. The music is . It looks like this film take us walk into the lonely Tokyo. It sounds misty and cold. But in the end, the music is . It sounds more warm and just like the lyric: ‘I can do’. They find faith in the end, and echo the start of movie.

Conclusion:
Sofia Coppola is a famous and smart director. She loves to use echo style to describe this story in this movie. In , she uses more and more contrast method to say it. For example, the music change and the background change. And she also usually uses euphemistic form to describe something that have to say, but it is not point, such as Bob’s life. In this whole movie, his wife never come in, Sofia Coppola use the Fax, phone and letters to describe their emotion problems.

Reference:
1. The poster is from the website:
http://www.filmland.dk/cgi-files/products/dvd-covers/4896_5_f.jpg
2. All shot images by myself.