bookmark_borderLost in Translation

Watched Lost in Translation last night. Wonderful. The type of film that should be made more often. Bill Murray is the big name of the film, and is superb. Casting him in a straight(er) role was an inspired move (although I have read that the part was written with him in mind) and he plays the part of the ageing actor with touching humility. The story focusses more on Scarlett Johansson’s character, a wonderfully enchanting, mysterious and beguiling young woman and a lost soul trying to find herself.They are two strangers lost in a strange land how come together to share a unique experience and both grow a little as a result.

It’s good to see this kind of thing coming out of Hollywood, and if Sofia Coppola can continue to produce work like this she will soon be giving her father a run for his money.

bookmark_borderLost in Translation

Lost in Translation

Ignore the trailers, this is NOT a Bill Murray ‘gag’ movie. Yes it is funny in moments, and whilst the melancholic feel that pervades the entire film permeates even the funniest moments, this is no sad movie.

The story of an ageing, failing movie star and a college graduate trying to find herself, it is a wonderful study in the ‘moment’, that undefinable period of time and place and circumstances, that throws two strangers together to enjoy a wonderful time, each learning a little more about themselves. Beautifully handled, the emotional/sexual tension between the two lead characters is palpable, and Bill Murray excels at this kind of role, I hope he gets more of them in the future. Scarlett Johannson also plays her part well, the confident young woman, at ease with herself in public, but not sure of herself in private. Wonderful. A timeless movie.