The movie “Lost in Translation” has rewarded me for years of boredom and loneliness — much like many others who have had feelings of being left behind. However, “Translation” sends a message to those lost souls: Your situation is not that complicated. You’re not alone.
Maybe we aren’t alone, and the film says everyone — from a woman in her 20s to a man in his 50s — is wondering who to be.
The movie follows the development of a platonic relationship in a foreign country between an aging American movie star and a newlywed Yale graduate.
Bob Harris (Bill Murray) comes to Tokyo to shoot advertisements for a Japanese brand of whiskey. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is staying in Tokyo with her photographer husband. The characters meet at the Park Hyatt Tokyo bar. They don’t have much in common, but both face the same plight: They are lost in life.
Bob is suffering from a midlife crisis and is involved in an emotionless 25-year marriage. His phone conversations with his wife sound meaningless:
“Do I need to worry about you Bob?” asks his wife composedly.
“Only if you want to,” he calmly replies.
Charlotte remains uncertain of where her life is headed. Her husband is busy with his work and is gone more than half the time. Both characters are afraid of being left alone and forgotten, and director Sophia Coppola depicts these feelings well.
“Translation” was filmed on location in Tokyo, where I was born and raised. Tokyo is unlike any other place. I have heard people say that life in the city is as bizarre as a constant midlife crisis. The city can be full of absurdity, and the film succeeds in portraying a good deal of Tokyo’s strange culture. Anime, karaoke and high-tech virtual video games are good examples of what signifies the modern Japanese way of life.
However, Coppola’s attempt to visualize Tokyo’s cityscape and nightlife may surprise American audiences. The film shows aspects of Japanese culture that American viewers are not exposed to very often. Coppola knows where to go to glimpse the places where Tokyo hipsters spend their nights; the exotic clubs are gloriously artificial but look sophisticated by their decent use of lighting and sound effects.
Some small parts of the film’s portrayals are exaggerated, and others are a little misrepresented, but Coppola unmistakably represents the faces of Tokyo. As a Tokyo native, I don’t often give a thumbs-up for the portrayals many films make of Japanese culture, but for “Translation,” I’m willing to do so.
“Lost in Translation” won three Golden Globe awards, including Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, and it has been nominated for four Academy Awards. It was released on DVD and VHS Tuesday.