Lost in Translation

As a female director and the daughter of a conspicuously prominent director/producer, Sofia Coppola has been received with enthusiasm in some places, and skepticism in others, but having viewed Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette and The Virgin Suicides, I have to contend with the former view. With three movies which fall into my "character movie" category, Coppola always goes the extra mile to create pieces which are distinct and each unique in their own right. Similar to another favourite writer/director/producer of mine with few flicks to their penmanship, Coppola takes some risks which rely heavily on the ability of her cast. This masterpiece is set in Tokyo, relies heavily on Tokyo for its plot points and ambience but is never a movie about Tokyo. Bill and Scarlett are exquisite as Bob and Charlotte, two lost souls whose friendship awkwardly emerges and deepens out of a need, before realising that it too is based on a strange compatibility that surpasses the twenty something years between the two, so masterly juxtaposed between the "worst lunch" and the scene just following it. With an air strangely reminiscent of another favourite, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Scarlett effortlessly transforms into the woman we unintentionally but very quickly fall in love with. The far more seasoned Bill is very real, completely endearing and utterly flawless. As always, I must comment on the score and soundtrack which, in this case, meld perfectly; everything from the opening score to the choice of karaoke tunes is impeccable. This movie is slowly creeping into my top ten...

Whiskeyed words:

"You're probably just having a mid-life crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?"

Score: 5 glasses of Suntory out of 5. On the rocks.

Sofia Coppola wrote it, directed it, made it lovely and real, Scarlett Johansson & Bill Murray made a foreign land familiar, Giovanni Ribisi & Anna Faris provided the foils.