Lost In Translation review

The Virgin Suicides was a promising directorial debut from Sofia Coppola. Now, in her follow up, that promise has been fulfilled with precocious haste. Lost In Translation is a meaningful and moving romance told with unhurried restraint. Coppola, who also wrote the script, shows an assurity and vision, striking a distinctive tone and mood indicating the family's rich cinematic heritage is in good hands.

Central to the film's success are the wonderful performances of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Both tap into the vulnerability and longing of their characters so effectively that despite the age difference, their relationship has a tenderness and authenticity.

Murray plays fading movie star Bob Harris, who is reduced to making whiskey commercials in Japan. Arriving in Tokyo for the first time, the lugubrious Harris finds himself assaulted by the excessive politeness of his hosts. Lance Acord's elegant photography captures perfectly the sensory overload of Tokyo. The blinding neon and bustling streets that greet Harris solicit a wide-eyed wonder. The language and cultural differences are observed rather that judged and although the eternally droll Harris can't resist mocking at times, it's never with malice.

Away from his loveless marriage and a wife whose long distance contacts consist of reminding him he'd forgotten his son's birthday and sending him carpet samples, Harris finds himself struggling with boredom and jet lag. Over a late night drink he meets the young Yale graduate Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) who is staying at the same hotel while her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) is busy on assignment. Sharing marital woes, pangs of self-doubt and a discernible loneliness, the pair forge a mutual dependence for their week long stay during which time they ignite lost feelings of possibility.

The always good Murray, matched at every turn by Johansson, has never been better as he imbues Harris with a sweetness and humour that never sinks to sentimentality. What makes their relationship so poignant is not what is said, but what remains unsaid. It is an understanding infused with sexual tension but expressed in looks and gestures rather than words and actions.

Inspired by her time spent in Japan as a youngster, Coppola has produced an understated personal film that reflects her obvious affection for the country. Lost In Translation's title may allude to a linguistic misunderstanding, but the film's theme and masterful execution are comprehensible in any language.