Lost in Translation was released in 2003, starring Bill Murray and a then unknown Scarlett Johansson. It was a sleeper hit that earned $120 million on a $4 million budget, and won countless awards. I happened to come across it by accident, and I can't remember the first time I watched my mum's DVD copy ( at the time I was not quite the film buff I am now), but I've loved it ever since and there's something about it that has touched my heart ever since, no matter how many times I watch it.
Focused on two strangers in a foreign country (Japan, Tokyo) who are at a crossroads in their lives, they meet each other in the hotel they're staying in and a fleeting friendship begins for the time they are there. Others might disagree but I think their relationship is that of a friendship rather than anything physically intimidate.
On the surface level, a cynic might think that the film is shallow and meaningless, and about two self absorbed people who happen to be in a place with cultural differences that they are not used to. But, at heart 'Lost In Translation' is a story about finding someone missing from your life, someone you can create moments with, someone who is there when no one else is.
I've never had someone that's come into my life in that way, no one who I could seriously say I've bonded with in an instant, and then disappeared from their life not long afterwards. Which is a shame, it's something I long for, because a fleeting friendship with moments is better than a long term one of convenience.
What's particularly fascinating is that neither of the lead characters actually introduce themselves to one another, although Charlotte (Johansson) is aware of Bob's (Murray) fame (Bob was a film star during the 1970s).
While watching 'Lost in Translation' one can't help but feel a sense of loneliness, the enchanting soundtrack helps, and so does the depiction of Tokyo. Like most big cities it's shown as a place where you can be surrounded by countless people but still feel lonesome.
From my own narrow experiences, being alone in a foreign place can be just as daunting as it is thrilling. So I can imagine finding someone you can connect with can make the world of difference, and the experience that much better.
(spoiler alert)
The ending is somewhat heartbreaking, because although the film isn't long we feel like we've been with the characters for far longer. We might not know these people intricately but we've enjoyed their emotional journey together. So in that last moment that they are together, clenching one another before parting ways and Bob leaving the city, makes the whole thing worth it. As much as I might like to see them together once again, their moments during the film are enough for a lifetime.
The film ends with Bob exiting Tokyo with the song 'Just like Honey' (Jesus and Mary chain) playing over the background. It's one of the few times that we get a great scope of the city in daylight, opposite to Bob's introduction to the city on entering at the beginning of the film. All great experiences are a means to an end, but worth living for.
If you haven't seen Lost in Translation, please do so.
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