Lost In Translation
Film // Jim // 25th January 2004
Following Car vandalism and medical emergencies, the paper-jam outing to see Lost In Translation makes its way to a quiet Coventry Skydome cinema. I am surprised to see a reasonable turn out for a film that doesn’t involve
a) Things Blowing Up
b) Nicole Kidman
c) Talking Animals
After the amusing trailers (not Shaun of the Dead which I was hoping for) the film begins and one thing becomes immediately apparent:
***Do not take your girlfriend to see this film under any circumstances***
Honestly, any film that starts with the vista of Scarlet Johansson’s (extremely
attractive) arse in a pair of see-through knickers is just going to cause you
endless grief during the walk back to the car.
The (extremely attractive) Miss Johansson is Charlotte, a vaguely depressed newlywed
stuck in a Tokyo hotel while her photographer husband is off on assignment. She
gazes meaningfully out of the window across the cityscape, she walks round the
room in her undies, she is bored out of her mind.
Johansson: nice arse, glum
Meanwhile a jet-lagged Bill Murray is Bob, a jaded movie star arriving in the
neon-glare of the city to do a bit of corporate whoring for a whisky company.
Eventually these two kindred spirits meet up and have a brief form of relationship
underscored by the tension of not knowing whether Bob is going to do what half
the audience are thinking and give (the extremely attractive) Charlotte one.
Repeatedly.
Murray: tension, corporate whore
Plot wise that is about all she wrote. This film is really more of a mood piece based around the extremely convincing relationship between the two leads and the place that they have found themselves in, physically and emotionally (ooh listen to me).
Structurally we get a series of self contained scenes with atmospheric city shots or travelogue style interludes padding the film out. All the while a soundtrack that could best be described as “shoegazing” is jangling along in the background featuring such treats as My Bloody Valentine, JAMC and the re-appearance of the mythical Kevin Shields.
The style of the film means that it does seem to last longer than the hundred minutes or so that it purports to fill, this is quite apt though as we all know that time stretches inexorably when stuck in with nothing to do (or when protecting a dodgy one-nil lead in the dying minutes). There are some great comic moments, especially from Murray, clearly improvising to fine effect during the Whisky commercial segments.
Everything is very easy on the eye - from the neon lit tokyo streets and dim, smoky hotel bar to the endless lingering shots of (the extremely attractive) Johansson lounging around looking a bit glum.
The acting is great all round although apart from Murray and Johansson no-one else really gets much of a look in. Special mention should go to Anna Faris who plays a vacuous hollywood bimbette who is delighted when she learns that people say she looks bulimic. Apparently the character is a spot on piss-take of the real-life Cameron Diaz, look out for legal action and denials all round if this film makes it to the Oscars.
Although this isn’t going to be a film for everyone it is worth checking out if you want a relaxing and vaguely rewarding visit to the flicks without having your intelligence insulted.
Incidentally about half way through there is a nice little scene where Charlotte’s husband has to run the gauntlet of her jealousy at the attention that he has been paying to the Faris character. This almost exactly what you will be doing too if you take the missus to watch you gawp at (the extremely attractive) Johansson for an hour and a half.
Also if you are interested in visiting Japan like I am this film will certainly fuel your interest further, although if you are offered any “special extras” at the hotel I’d give it a wide berth.
Comments
hey,
saw last night, this is verymuch a sunday film.
i felt it was just a photo album for anyone who’s been east.
i imagine them writing the script and gong, ‘ ye ye and we need those dam stupid arcade machines in there, ye and karaoka, we need that, oh Oh and what about when japanese people won’t cross the road untill the lights green...’
farenough though, was worth a gander.
samuel : 26/01/2004 09:46:33
Ah - I didn’t notice the road-crossing thing.
Maybe that’s cos I’m scared to death of crossing the roads in big cities. Amsterdam is a bastard for this - there’s always a cyclist out to kill me.
steve : 26/01/2004 17:49:39
hey,
did you also notice that the directors daddy was an executive producer.
samuel : 27/01/2004 12:03:44
Always helps I s’pose…
Jim : 28/01/2004 01:41:09
Having spent the last six months with the wife saying ‘we must go and see it’ but failing miserably due to lethargy and living in an area where anything other than ‘Spider Man meets the Clones Attacking Shrek’ is difficult to find, we ended up buying the DVD on its release.
Yes, you could argue that this presents a view of Japanese culture from an ‘aren’t they strange’ perspective, but I think this is the point. Anyone who has been to the far east will recognise the kind of dislocation coming into a superficially western society that is actually based on completely different principles. This sets the scene for what is entirely a mood piece about relationships, which I think is delicately handled.
The connection between Bill Murray and Scarlet Johanssons’ characters is believable precisely because of this dislocation - they don’t know whether it is sexual or mutual support, or whether either is what they need or want. You can argue one way or another about the denouement, and whether this is realistic, but for me it ended as it should have, ambiguously.
This film also REALLY made me want to go back to Tokyo, as it is beautifully shot and shows how the backstreets / local knowledge in any city holds the key to its pulse. Plus the soundtrack is cool - anyone playing The Jesus And Mary Chain gets quodos in my books.
Nick : 10/07/2004 00:26:40