I enjoyed watching Lost in Translation, even though it is (intentionally no doubt) rather understated.
It tells the story of two lost souls - Bob (Bill Murray), a middle aged man in a stale marriage facing the all too familiar mid life crisis, and Charlotte (Scarlet Johansson), a young woman just two years into a marriage that already feels like a mistake. Their paths cross during a few days staying in a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, and we follow them as their shared loneliness and inner emptiness draws them towards one another.
Having introduced the characters, you may think this seems like a rather cliched 'older man falls for younger woman' story, and in some ways it probably is. However, the relationship between Bob and Charlotte develops around empathy and companionship rather than lust, and for that it can be applauded. Where this movie also scores is the setting, the gentle pace and the space it gives to the viewer.
The Tokyo setting works well. Noisy and vibrant at times, cheesy and colourful at others, it provides our characters with a deepened sense of isolation from the world around them. The relaxed pace of the film works too, and it is brave enough to deploy significant moments of silence that feel natural and right, providing a contrasting calm among the city chaos.
The two lead actors play their parts well, resulting in believable characters, and though they are both unhappy with their life situation the film is not at all bleak or depressing. There are moments of gentle humour throughout the film, and both characters bring a lightness to their naval gazing.
Lost in Translation is not a film that is particularly moving or memorable, but is a film which is refreshingly understated, mature, observationalist, and allows the viewer their own time and space to reflect.
It tells the story of two lost souls - Bob (Bill Murray), a middle aged man in a stale marriage facing the all too familiar mid life crisis, and Charlotte (Scarlet Johansson), a young woman just two years into a marriage that already feels like a mistake. Their paths cross during a few days staying in a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, and we follow them as their shared loneliness and inner emptiness draws them towards one another.
Having introduced the characters, you may think this seems like a rather cliched 'older man falls for younger woman' story, and in some ways it probably is. However, the relationship between Bob and Charlotte develops around empathy and companionship rather than lust, and for that it can be applauded. Where this movie also scores is the setting, the gentle pace and the space it gives to the viewer.
The Tokyo setting works well. Noisy and vibrant at times, cheesy and colourful at others, it provides our characters with a deepened sense of isolation from the world around them. The relaxed pace of the film works too, and it is brave enough to deploy significant moments of silence that feel natural and right, providing a contrasting calm among the city chaos.
The two lead actors play their parts well, resulting in believable characters, and though they are both unhappy with their life situation the film is not at all bleak or depressing. There are moments of gentle humour throughout the film, and both characters bring a lightness to their naval gazing.
Lost in Translation is not a film that is particularly moving or memorable, but is a film which is refreshingly understated, mature, observationalist, and allows the viewer their own time and space to reflect.