Lost In Translation: Film Review

Sofia Coppola knows what she's doing. After an array of success in movies such as The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Somewhere, Lost In Translation mimics her quiet themes of ennui and existentialism, while delivering a simple and sweet plot.
Lost In Translation follows the paths of Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) as they unexpectedly meet one night in their Tokyo hotel. Bob is a washed up actor undergoing a mid-life crisis who comes to Tokyo to film a Suntory Whiskey commercial. Charlotte, a recent Yale graduate, ventures to Tokyo with her husband John (Giovanni Ribisi), a celebrity photgrapher. Despite Bob and Charlotte's age difference, the two find common ground in their lives because they both are struggling with unhappiness and ennui.
Coppola touches quietly on these two emotions. These emotions are not only felt by the characters, but the viewers themselves through Coppola's cinematography. Coppola uses many still shots of the actors as a way of expressing their boredom and loneliness. In contrast, Coppola combines the busy, yet colorful city of Tokyo in various ways to point out that life is moving around the two characters, but the characters both feel still and empty.
The film's soundtrack adds to the quiet and still feeling brought on by the movie. Many of the songs are wordless, just melodies. This makes sense as Coppola wants the viewer to note that the feelings of emptiness and loneliness occur in all aspects of the movie. The music is soothing and poetic in its own way as the melodies seem to echo the internal feelings of the characters. Coppola uses more upbeat songs such as "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders and "Too Young" by Phoenix when Bob and Charlotte begin to shed their exteriors and start to internally feel alive. The songs only occur in one scene, but the scene is perhaps one of the most important to the film because it is in this scene that the undertones of a love story begin.
Bill Murray is perhaps at his best in the film. He is able to remain comedic like he is renowned for, but Murray tones down his sarcasm and encorporates a feeling of restlessness and solitude in his character. Johansson, only 18 when the movie was filmed, surpasses her age and is a strong enough actress to take on the role of playing a recent college grad. Her deep, husky voice allows her to add years on to her character, while her natural beauty and sex appeal make the romance between her and Murray possible.
Lost In Translation is a love story between two people from different backgrounds and walks of life. The romance is not apparent on the surface, but Coppola combines scenes that show the romance blossoming, even though both characters know the romance will not continue once they get back to the states. However, despite their inevitable departure, both characters are able to learn something from one another -- this is perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the movie as the characters' ages mean nothing compared to their experiences.