Scarlett Johansson + Tokyo, Japan = Perpetually Lost
Lost In Translation is a film about a very specific mood and tone. It captures both of these aspects beautifully and that is the truly amazing achievement this film accomplishes.
From the simple (and Oscar award winning) script, to the muted look of the film, to the quiet characters, to the incredible soundtrack, everything in and about Lost In Translation is all perfectly picked to fit the mood and tone of this specific emotion… a specific mind set… all created and realized by Sofia Coppola.
It’s the warm feeling of being awake at 4:00AM with the people you trust most with just enough wine in you to not be quite drunk but still maintain that perfect buzz.
It’s making a genuine connection with a complete stranger who is exactly what you need at the exact right time.
It’s about reaching a worry-free calmness you desperately needed after a chaotic week, month, or year.
It’s rare but when it happens, we never forget it. We desperately try to search for it again, usually for naught. But we know, to actively look for it already places us in a position to not find it.
We’ve all given and received the advice: “Don’t look for it and it’ll just come to you“. That’s what a lot of Lost In Translation is about.
Nothing really happens in this film but it’s really a film about some of the most important things in life.
The average movie going audience don’t go to the movies looking for “mood films”. That’s their loss. Like the perfect song, it could be very theraputic.
Beautifully Photographed
The other thing I admire about this film is the honest and sincere message that Sofia Coppola communicates through the film (it’s my favorite type of communication). The legend goes that while Sofia was working on Marie Antoinette, she hit a wall. In an effort to get her head out of the Antoinette space, she took a quick detour writing about her past experiences in Tokyo while simultaneously exorcising a few internal issues about her marriage, her relationship to the world and her place in life. I feel all this comes out beautifully in the film.
Sofia Coppola is a talented filmmaker. There is a cohesive uniformity in all her films. But Lost In Translation is the one film where it seems like she wasn’t actively searching for anything… and the right film just came to her.
Get Lost.
You can watch Lost in Translation here.
cap
Posted by cap
Posted by cap
