This film came out nine years ago and has had it's fair share of reviews, I know; but I want to share how much I love it! I've read other reviews on this film after I saw it (since I never read reviews beforehand) and I noticed that people either loved or hated this film, there weren't many opinions in the grey area. I took a lot of delight (I guess this word works, haha) in this review here (scroll down to Lost in Translation) because whoever wrote it only appreciated the film after the second viewing.
I, on the other hand really loved Lost in Translation the first time I saw it. I was really surprised that Scarlett Johansson was only 18 years old while filming this! Her performance showed so much more maturity than would be expected from an 18 year old. Since Scarlett's character, Charlotte, is a well-educated newly married woman who is lonely and ignored by her husband, I really admired the fact that she was able to give a believable performance while being so young. I also had so much sympathy for Bill Murray's character who was obviously so disappointed by how unsatisfying life had turned out to be that he's just given up trying to be happy and is just rolling with the punches. The two meet in a hotel in Japan, both searching for the meaning to their life and are able to connect with each other; not just finding company for their loneliness but finding the ability to have someone actually care about their thoughts. They help each other out, offering as much wisdom to the other as they can before they go back home to cope with their lives.
As you may know, I really appreciate films that capture reality and reflect humanity no matter what part of humanity that it reflects. This film doesn't go overboard trying to force you to believe that life is something that is exciting beyond belief. It shows you that you are not alone no matter what kind of situation you're facing. That there are other people sharing your pain even if they have a completely different life. This film is a great representation of the reasons I love cinema as an outlet for human emotion. No matter who's truth it's reflecting, there's always some kind of unity that comes from a really good film-seeing characters at their most vulnerable, whether you can relate with their lives or not. We all know how confusing it can be to feel lost in our own lives.
Lost in Translation is a great example of the fact that no one really knows who they are or who they're supposed to be. They can spend years trying to find out who they are or trying to create who they are and none of us really know whether all the time spent dwelling on this is really worth it, or if it's just a facet of human nature that we have to accept. What I got from this film is that you have to be honest with yourself and the people around you and surround yourself with the people who appreciate that.
I, on the other hand really loved Lost in Translation the first time I saw it. I was really surprised that Scarlett Johansson was only 18 years old while filming this! Her performance showed so much more maturity than would be expected from an 18 year old. Since Scarlett's character, Charlotte, is a well-educated newly married woman who is lonely and ignored by her husband, I really admired the fact that she was able to give a believable performance while being so young. I also had so much sympathy for Bill Murray's character who was obviously so disappointed by how unsatisfying life had turned out to be that he's just given up trying to be happy and is just rolling with the punches. The two meet in a hotel in Japan, both searching for the meaning to their life and are able to connect with each other; not just finding company for their loneliness but finding the ability to have someone actually care about their thoughts. They help each other out, offering as much wisdom to the other as they can before they go back home to cope with their lives.
As you may know, I really appreciate films that capture reality and reflect humanity no matter what part of humanity that it reflects. This film doesn't go overboard trying to force you to believe that life is something that is exciting beyond belief. It shows you that you are not alone no matter what kind of situation you're facing. That there are other people sharing your pain even if they have a completely different life. This film is a great representation of the reasons I love cinema as an outlet for human emotion. No matter who's truth it's reflecting, there's always some kind of unity that comes from a really good film-seeing characters at their most vulnerable, whether you can relate with their lives or not. We all know how confusing it can be to feel lost in our own lives.
Lost in Translation is a great example of the fact that no one really knows who they are or who they're supposed to be. They can spend years trying to find out who they are or trying to create who they are and none of us really know whether all the time spent dwelling on this is really worth it, or if it's just a facet of human nature that we have to accept. What I got from this film is that you have to be honest with yourself and the people around you and surround yourself with the people who appreciate that.