The film begins with Bob Harris (Bill Murray) embarking on a trip to Tokyo for a whiskey commercial shoot. Middle-aged Bob encounters the typical emptiness syndrome – wanting to be alone, away from family and friends. But although half a world apart from his emotionally-distant wife, Bob continues to feel her presence from her never-ending faxes on home decorating.
But Bob isn’t the only one suffering from boredom and loneliness. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), wife of an always-on-the-go photographer, spends most of the time trying to search for something she hasn’t felt recently – happiness. One exquisite evening, while these two are soul searching in a club, their paths cross. A beautiful friendship begins.
The relationship between the married young girl and the troubled middle-aged man becomes the focus of the film. The movie continues as Charlotte and Bob’s relationship blooms. Night after night, the two go to various places as they escape life’s miseries. Forgetting the reality of their worlds, they kill and spend time with each other by going to clubs, playing arcade games and singing at karaoke bars. They seem to be adults, but they act like children, unmindful of what’s going on as long as happiness is within their reach. Neither one of them is aware that they had lit up each other’s long-gone flame. Although the two would part ways in the end, they ignited a fire that will burn in their hearts forever.
One thing I like most about this movie is how Sofia Coppola presented her unique story. It’s like she dropped down two rats in a maze, which each one losing its trail. But as they pace forward, the rats begin to see the light until they find one another. With a measly $4-M budget, Coppola had managed to present a beautiful interpretation of real romance accompanied by terrific restraint.
As an aspiring filmmaker, the direction of the movie is admirable and worth emulating. Imagine, it only took them 27 days to film this splendid screen spectacle. Of course, all she needed was Bill Murray to portray the tender and subtle role of Bob Harris. Adding the bright night-lights of Tokyo and a dashing soundtrack into the mix, Lost in Translation gives a wonderful portrait of a modern love story.
But viewers, beware. This is not your typical romantic movie. But don’t despair, I’m sure Filipinos will love and perhaps relate to this wonderful story of two missing souls. Lost in Translation provides a panorama of emotions. Reminiscent of movies which combine different genres to tell its story, the movie incorporates drama, comedy and romance into a display of life’s hidden treasures. It’s not just a feel-good movie or a laugh-out-loud romance. The movie offers a different point of view of happiness. Well let’s just say that finding your spouse is one thing, but finding your soul mate or lifetime partner is another.
Perhaps you might be wondering why at my young age – 18 – I chose a film such as this, which tackles adult situations. Well, it’s pretty simple.
One way or another, all of us even in this tender stage get lost. With so many things happening around us, it’s so hard to decide. It’s so much easier to escape our problems than to think of a solution to them. But Lost in Translation did something very different. Not only did it help me escape some of my dilemmas, it also aided me in solving them. The movie teaches us the valuable virtue of waiting. Life has a lot of good things to offer. All we need to do is wait.