Lost in Translation (***1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

Famous actor Bob Harris is doing what many American actors before him have done. He’s traveling to Japan to shoot a commercial. On this extraordinarily lonely journey, Bob finds solace in another American. Charlotte came over with her photographer husband and is experiencing similar culture shock and social deprivation. Together they may just beat the blues.

Writer/Director Sofia Coppola really made it easy to understand why these two hated being in such a different country. First, there’s the language barrier. Being thrown into an environment where people don’t know your native tongue or, if they do, they speak with a heavy accent would be very frustrating. I felt the humor that went along with this was pretty cheap, obvious and bland. Otherwise, as a story device it worked. Also there’s the technology. Everything is made for people of that society and not visitors. The sterile domestic devices become foreign and unusual and make for Jetson-ish moments.

We are overrun with the Tokyo cityscape. The abundance of skyscrapers and neon signs flood the frame whenever possible. A subtle blue tint takes effect. The lack of warm colors makes it harder to identify any location as inviting or comfortable. Add to this, the fact that when alone, the character’s faces are kept darker than the view of the city behind them and you get great conscious cinematography creating this sense of despair. The interesting visual style sometimes makes up for the overly long scenes. Yes, the slow pace of the film works to increase the disdain felt towards Tokyo, but at some point, you have to think of keeping the audience involved.

Bill Murray (Bob) and Scarlett Johansson (Charlotte) also make the film interesting. Murray gives his best performance since “Rushmore.” I seriously doubt anyone can deny his ability to act by now. Johansson plays someone pretty similar to the girl she played in “Ghost World.” This time around, though, she has more charisma and emotional depth. These two seemed to really work well off of each other. Some of the dialogue appeared to be improvised. If it wasn’t, then even more power to them for acting that much more naturally.

There were points in the film where it felt like the timeline was off. The two characters are off on their own sulking and doing whatever, but the look on their faces don’t seem to match the mood that preceded it. There are so many cut-away shots involving just one character, that it’s easy to just drop them anywhere in the film. Those scenes very well could have been written in a particular order, but at times seemed like they were randomly placed.

The film is incredibly charming. The relationship between Bob and Charlotte is an intriguing one. Watching it develop from complete strangers to incredibly close friends put a smile on my face. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the pureness of their togetherness. It’s cute. It’s funny. It’s heartwarming and emotional. It’s a great film. Cheesy reviewer tagline time: “Go get lost.” -- Jon, filmbrats.com

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