Day 1: "Lost In Translation"

Imagine being a part of a culture where you know that you’re not on everyone’s mind all of the time. Tokyo, Japan plays as the backdrop for one of the most touching films of the last decade; Lost In Translation. Sofia Coppola’s third film is a story about two individuals who meet in a foreign country and teach one another that there’s always a second chance in life. Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a Hollywood actor who is visiting Tokyo to shoot an advertisement for a whisky company. It is obvious that he is in the middle of a mid-life crisis and his life at home is slowly falling apart. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is a young newly-wed who’s staying in Tokyo for a week because his hot-shot photographer husband has been asked to shoot for a band. Like most newly-weds today, Charlotte is contemplating her decision to get married this early and to this man. Her insomnia is keeping her up in the middle of the night, thinking about not only about her marriage but what the meaning of her life really is. Both Bob and Charlotte have their personal lives in balance between finding a way to make things work out and losing it all.

This film carries some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in years, Lance Acord did a stunning job at capturing the melancholy and mysterious tone of the movie. From shots of Charlotte weaving her way through the busy streets of Tokyo, to the city lights that Bob is introduced to in the first five minutes of the movie. You are thrown into this world that looks so appealing and beautiful, but in reality, could be one of the scariest places on earth for an American who can’t speak the language. Everything in this film is so subtle and secretive that even if this is a simple story being told, you’ll have to watch it a numerous amount of times to understand the true message.

The body language between Bob and Charlotte, Bob’s inability to work a treadmill, the extras breaking character, and of course the old Japanese man trying to introduce Bob to Tokyo while he waits for Charlotte to come out of the doctor’s room. The meaning of this film isn’t told through the dialogue but rather the decisions each character chooses to make without saying a word. This is isn’t a romantic movie but rather a reassurance for people out there that feel that their doomed to live a mundane lifestyle. It’s more of a reminder that it’s never too late to get things right in your life and that the most unlikely relationships can occur and end up teaching a very valuable lesson; everyone wants to be found. Sometimes, you just need to find someone who’s awake and ready to listen.

Favorite line: "Hey, what's with the straight face?"