LOST IN TRANSLATION STILLS
When I came back home after uni, I made a list of films that I wanted to watch throughout the long, looong summer holiday. It was quite a hefty list full of romance, comedies, Disney, chick flicks, dramas that I'd never got round to seeing or wanted to re-visit again... aaaand I lost it somewhere in the house a couple of days after writing it, as always seems to happen. So when I came back from my holidays and found I finally had a few completely free days, after a surprisingly busy June and July, I jumped on the chance to make a new list and get started with watching the films on it. Obviously I've forgotten half the original films I wanted to watch, which is a tad annoying, but luckily there were a few I did remember because I've wanted to watch them for so, so long. The brilliant 2003 Sofia Coppola release 'Lost In Translation', starring the superbly talented Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was top of my list.
I'm not really sure where I came across the film, but it's one of those iconic cultural masterpieces that exist dotted in and around the archives of film. It belongs in the same category as films like 'The Breakfast Club', 'Mean Girls', 'Shawshank Redemption, 'Forrest Gump'... those kinds of excellently crafted films that become incredibly important for reasons you can't quite put your finger on, and almost indicative of a particular period in time too. It's one of those films I feel you just have to see. Even now having seen it for myself, I'm still not entirely sure why that is, but I feel it has something to do with the superb acting, breathtakingly gorgeous cinematography, simple yet intricate storyline, introduction to Japanese culture, and the way it approaches some important topics we all face during our lives. 'Lost In Translation' has such a simple premise: two Americans, middle aged actor and family man Bob Harris played by Murray, and recently married college graduate Charlotte, played by Johansson, meet at a hotel in Tokyo and over the course of the week, in between exploring the magical Japanese capital, become very good friends. And that's not in a very good friends *wink wink nudge nudge* kind of way, because in a refreshing change of approach, the relationship between the interestingly juxtaposed characters does indeed grow in emotional intimacy but it never crosses the line. The difficult perfect balance between love and friendship is somehow achieved and maintained by Murray and Johansson throughout the film, making it a very endearing and sincere watch.
Furthermore Sofia Coppola's film making mastery, full of gentle, cinematic shots, natural light, soft colours, is something of a dream. You get so lost and captivated in the serenity of it all. All these stunning visuals of Tokyo and other parts of Japan, interspersed so cleverly and consistently throughout the film, perfectly mirror the gentle and sweet story between the two main characters. It makes for the most wonderfully rounded and complete film, where every aspect from the acting, writing, directing, cinematography, storyline, are all on par and in line with one another. 'Lost In Translation' is such a simple concept, and an easy, relaxing, absorbing watch yet it really does leave such a lasting impression on you. If you haven't seen it I would definitely recommend you take a couple of hours out your day or evening to watch this gorgeous film, but till then I wanted to share with you some really beautiful, tranquil stills from the film because great art and beauty really does deserve to be celebrated.
-all images linked to their original source-
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