Understated, nuanced fish-out-of-water narrative as two lonely Americans find themselves lost in a culture that’s not their own.
Flown into Tokyo to endorse a local whisky, the jet-lagged screen legend Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is immersed in a tight schedule and the soulless anonymity of his luxurious hotel. The planned few days feel like an eternity. Equally alone is Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) as husband John (Giovanni Ribisi), a professional photographer, is constantly out on location. The two meet by chance as their paths cross in the sleeplessness of predawn solitude. A connection is formed.
Lost in Translation is a feature of two bored individuals yet its narrative manages to avoid being boring. Writer/director Sofia Coppola captures a subtle, pervasive melancholia as Tokyo becomes a somnambulist dreamscape.
Nominated for 4 Oscars in 2004 including best film, director, actor – won 1 for best original script
Rating: 73%
Director: Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled, Priscilla)
Writer: Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled, Priscilla)
Main cast: Bill Murray (Groundhog Day, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Marriage Story), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar, Boiler Room)
An Opinion or Two 