Movie: Lost in Translation

GREAT movie!

[NOTE:  I recently watched Lost in Translation again and, even after all these years, I still find the movie mesmerizing and enchanting.  But having gone through the crucible of a failed marriage the movie resonates even deeper.  Murray's Bob is a lifer in a loveless and cold marriage and feels disconnected from his kids.  Johansson's Charlotte is just starting out in married life but is justifiably having second thoughts and concerns due to a spouse that seems to take her for granted and not be all that interested in her.  They both are longing for something greater, more meaningful. I relate and connect to both of their characters in such different ways than I did back when I first saw the movie and was moved by it.

I've always thought of "art" as the space between what the artist creates and what the viewer brings, it's that intermingling of intention, perception and perspective that makes something special that moves us.  I find it a rare joy when you can enjoy a film one one way when you first watch it, and have that enjoyment change in tone and texture as you yourself have changed over time.  I thought I'd repost this review I wrote up for Livejournal back when it first came out in theaters.]

I could feel at the time
There was no way of knowing
Fallen leaves in the night
Who can say where they’re blowing

Scarlett Johansson is intoxicating. She first hit my radar in the delightful Ghost World where she gave a solid performance in a supporting role that nearly felt like a co-lead. With Lost in Translation, she’s even better. The critics have been showering praise on Bill Murray– and it’s warranted. It’s his finest performance ever. I guess he’s getting the attention since, for the first time that I can remember, he truly transcends himself. When you watch you often forget that it’s Bill Murray up there, you think of him as his character Bob.

Lean on me

As free as the wind
And hopefully learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning

But it was Scarlett that I found mesmerizing. Sure, she’s attractive in a very lush, human way, standing apart of the cookie-cutter model-esque. It’s her acting, her presence that I was enchanted with. That voice, when she used it, but even more impressive was what went unsaid. The space between the dialog, that space was fucking brilliant. The story told through the eyes, body language, facial expressions, glances, the air between her Charlotte and Murray’s Bob that throbbed with what should be said but wasn’t.

Inspiration for what I wanted as my blog header

More than this– there is nothing
More than this– tell me one thing
More than this– there is nothing

The movie opened with a shot behind Charlotte, from the waist down, lying on her side in bed with a T-shirt and panties, her sleeping attire. The curves of her hips, her long legs, the shadow of her bare buttocks through the thin material of her underwear. Simple but breathtakingly female. I’m not sure what Sofia Coppola was trying to say with that opening shot, but it has me convinced that this is Charlotte’s movie, deep down. The ads and PR really zoom in on Bill Murray as the “star” but I’m not fooled.

sweet serenade

It was fun for a while
There was no way of knowing
Like a dream in the night
Who can say where we’re going

There’s a scene where Bill Murray sings Roxy Music’s “More than This” with a karaoke machine, and while his warbling is not terrible, it’s certainly out of key [and reminds me a bit of my own recent excursion into karaoke--Bennie]. But– it’s sweet, powerful, and to me was the center of the story. It evoked that “swelling” deep inside, the stirring of the heart and soul that comes close to engaging the tear ducts. A perfect melding of song and sentiment. Like a dream in the night; Charlotte and Bob are two strangers with no past and no future, but utterly and helplessly engrossed in one another in the present. Hopelessly romantic in the widest sense of the words.

No care in the world
Maybe I’m learning
Why the sea on the tide
Has no way of turning

After the movie I stopped into the bar a few stops down the street from the theater. I ordered a bourbon and ginger-ale. The smokey liquor and gently sweet ginger drink tasted smooth on my tongue, and warmed my insides. After the second one I had that small pre-buzz that feels so good. Life as a dad, husband and homeowner has elbowed away the opportunity for much in the way of alcohol indulgence, so these moments were particularly savory. I thought about Charlotte and Bob, and my mind turned to lovers past, of lost opportunities for romance and love, things that went unsaid.

More than this– there is nothing
More than this– tell me one thing
More than this– there is nothing

When I got home wife and the kids were asleep. I dug through my CDs and found Roxy Music’s Avalon. I put on some headphones, laid down on the sofa, and let Bryan Ferris’ sweet vocals and his band’s warm and sensuous music wrap around my brain like a realized romance. This music, that movie– More than this– there is nothing… It was fun for a while

I need to get back into screenwriting. I need people like Sofia Coppola, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray as peers and contemporaries. I want to work with these artists and make films that move.

I still sometimes ponder what words Bob whispered into Charlotte’s ear…

Did you see Lost in Translation?  What did you think?  Have you seen it again recently?