Lost In Translation (2003) Dir: Sofia Coppola
Instagram post:
I had never seen a Sofia Coppola film prior to watching this 2003 romantic comedy, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. That said, this one was pretty well rated and is always talked about among film circles, so I thought it was a good place to start.
Coppola composed some genuinely beautiful shots, but they often felt rather purposeless. It was such a pretty, dreamlike film, visually speaking. However, it just felt so empty. Maybe that was on purpose, but I can't say I was a fan personally.
The film may have looked interesting, but it felt so horrendously dull at times. The shots lasted too long - I'm sure they were supposed to linger, to feel nostalgic or thoughtful, but they just felt tedious. I was begging for the film to have some sort of rhythm.
The film was tonally jarring. It couldn't decide if it was a full-on comedy or a sincere romance. I don't mind having comedy in a story like this, but it needs to feel natural, instead of shoehorned in, as it often felt here. When the comedy was done right, it worked, but that wasn't frequent enough.
I also think Coppola didn't exactly do much for Japanese culture - she treated it like a joke. I suppose the point was to show the two protagonist's alienation and loneliness, but it was a bit disappointing to see such lazy comedy at the expense of an entire culture.
Bill Murray was tricky for me to judge. On the one hand, his dry comedy kind of worked, but at the same time, it was, to me, quite vapid. And, to be honest, vapid is the word for much of his performance. He felt, as he has done in a lot of his later films, like a grumpy, sarcastic old man.
I thought Scarlett Johansson was absolutely wonderful. She was the one part of the film that felt truly, consistently, genuine. Her performance was endearing, sweet and utterly believable. She was easy to watch, in a film that should've been, but wasn't. I found her an utterly enchanting on-screen presence, who saved the film.
Giovanni Ribisi made for a fairly decent, if slightly underutilised, supporting character, for what it's worth. Meanwhile, Anna Faris was legitimately a gem of an addition. I found her really entertaining. It was a shame she barely featured, beyond one or two scenes.
Overall, I was actually pretty disappointed by this film, if I'm being honest. I was hoping for a dreamlike and emotive story, and while there were hints of that throughout, there was far too much empty space, that left the film feeling like a party with not enough guests.
I should say this though; I didn't hate the film. On the contrary, there were several parts of the film I enjoyed. However, it left me, on the whole, dissatisfied. I loved the visuals, and the performance of Johansson, but there wasn't enough substance. I was waiting for something more emotionally, but it never came.
Kommentare