Grade: A
Sofia Coppola has obviously inherited her father’s ability to create wonderful and memorable cinema. With her second feature, Sofia Coppola has crafted an involving and smart character study. Bob and Charlotte are complete strangers who would probably never have met, but lost and alone in a foreign land, they meet and help each other search for themselves. Bill Murray is excellent as the aging actor, Bob Harris, and the young Scarlett Johanssen matches and even surpasses Murray as Charlotte; turning a supporting role into arguably the film’s lead. Everything from the acting and cinematography to the direction and scoring of Lost in Translation helps to create this masterpiece, which is a breathe of fresh air in this otherwise unremarkable year at the movies.
......The other day I saw Lost in Translation again during its theatrical re-release, and just like the first time I saw this masterpiece, I was captivated by its beauty and subtlety. After seeing such gripping and powerful (and gut-churning) movies recently (like House of Sand and Fog and 21 Grams), the subtle power of this film seemed to get lost in a sea of bravado. But now after seeing Lost in Translation again, I realize that it is truly one of the year’s best movies. This is one of the least plot-driven movies of the year, and its brilliance stems directly from this. We get to see Bob and Charlotte for who they are, and not simply how they react to exaggerated external forces, and by the end of the movie, you are feel and care more for these two people than 99% of other film’s main characters. Slapping the letter-A on this movie just doesn’t seem to do it justice.
© 2003 Jacob Sproul
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