Lost in Translation

This very sweet and unforced film about falling in platonic love perhaps could not have been written and directed without living through a similar experience. Lost in Translation is harmoniously fluid, without a single cliché of the romance genre, with an atypical and yet pleasantly well-coordinated couple, sincere dialogue and a minimalist conclusion with a stronger emotional impact than even the great romantic classics offer. “The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you”. (04/06/2021)

The film ended and left me with mixed a feeling of utter bliss and sadness at the same time. Sofia Coppola tells this story from Japan very slowly, brilliantly portraying the atmosphere of a country that is linguistically and culturally very different. Two "lost" people meet in a hotel, feeling lonely and in need of communication, of listening to each other. They feel affection for each other and they both play it well, especially Bill Murray, whose performance is enhanced by the fact that his role is so different from any of his previous ones. You won't see any passionate kisses or tears running down faces, yet, or maybe that's why the two of them have an unusual spark. You won't laugh much, nor will you feel emotionally blackmailed, this film is neither a romance nor a comedy. Genre-wise, it's impossible to classify and the most appropriate simile I can think of is that it's just a beautiful film. A beautiful intimate story of two people, sometimes underlined by sad ambient music. Sofia Coppola's relationship with her famous father proves that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. After the second viewing, I literally fell in love with this film. (29/01/2004)

YES! Anyone who says this film is amazing and doesn't hold back the superlatives is absolutely right. A beautiful love story that managed to avoid all unnecessary clichés and superficialities, while being (no wonder) original. Praise for the directing, which is extraordinarily civil, non-stylized, in a way inconspicuous and draws the viewer into the film. Praise for Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray for acting performances that go far below the surface of the characters. Murray's mimic minimalism, in particular, is worthy of infinite respect – how little is enough to perfectly portray a character... Just to have the gift. Praise for the music, the camera... and, of course, above all the screenplay. The way two lost people find each other in a world of unknown signs and strange morals is simply magnificent. For all the side motifs that Lost in Translation offers, the searching (for themselves) of the main characters in the middle of the unknown seems to me to be the most beautiful thing I have taken from the film. It can probably be seen as a statement about an era, about the meeting of different cultures, but the most beautiful thing in it is precisely the most intimate. What it can do without blatant phrases and shocking scenes. What stands out so beautifully against the backdrop of an artificial and ridiculously complicated world – the story of a fleeting blending of two souls. And in such a sensitive and tender rendition that I prefer to stop and go and "experience". (13/03/2004)

"It's Suntory time..." Melancholy in its purest cinematic form. Scarlett is wonderful, but the clear driving force of the film is the incredibly natural Bill Murray. Sensitively filmed and with an absolutely great atmosphere that completely absorbs you and does not let you go until the closing credits. (22/01/2007)

There are not many cases when I empathized so much with the feelings of the heroes. Feelings of emptiness, loneliness, sadness, fear, warmth, and love. Bill Murray's mournful gaze has imprinted on me forever, as well as Scarlett Johansson's gentle face. Beauty that, when in the right mood, equals an absolute experience. (27/10/2005)

A beautifully fragile narrative about sharing loneliness, uprootedness and existential uncertainty in the midst of excessive affluence. Lost in Translation is a film about superficiality that lets us look beneath the surface and discover beauty there. It is also two hours in the company of someone you laugh at a little at the beginning and who by the end you feel will always be a part of your life, even if you never see them again. (17/09/2022)

A very nice film. Gentle. And the characters in it don't act like they always do, but become people, real people. I was drawn into their midst. I didn't want to be a bystander. I wanted to walk around Tokyo. A city I long to visit. For all that, I'm simply forced to give it full stars. I just want to, and that's it. Because this film is first and foremost “human". All I can do is recommend it for viewing. (06/03/2009)

Yes, this movie is not bad in my opinion... However, it is by no means as good as the enthusiastic applause of critics and some viewers would suggest. Lost in Translation arrived at the right time with a style that was in demand. Viewers and especially critics were simply tired of high-budget productions packed with digital special effects and action and longed for a more civil, cultured expression. It is not a comedy in the true sense of the word, there are few purely humorous situations, and if they do appear, they are the ones that bring a smile to the lips, certainly not laughter. Much more than that, it is an unfulfilled love story between unequal partners without a real perspective. The film's strengths lie in the performances of the main pair and the script, which draws on knowledge of the film industry and Japanese culture. On the other hand, I have seen much stronger films on a similar theme and did not find anything exceptional in this film. Some scenes are so drawn out that they can even be boring... It gets a weak 4 stars from me and an overall impression of 70%. (13/08/2007)

A very nice story. Amazing acting (Bill Murray gives the performance of his life). If your mood was hovering around freezing point before seeing Lost in Translation, afterward you’ll be at pleasant room temperature. It’s the kind of movie that puts you in a good mood and makes for a better day. You’ll probably also have a sudden urge to fly to Tokyo to play a round of golf. At least I did. ;-) (09/10/2007)

An attractive setting, an interesting cast and a brilliant script. Don't expect anything unexpected, but perhaps just very clever and self-aware. (27/10/2004)

I was very curious to see how Sofia Coppola fared and I was looking forward to her top work so far. And I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. The film beautifully depicts the contrast between the usual, to which our heroes have been accustomed all their lives, and the exotic Japanese jungle, where their lonely souls seem far removed from their awkward and tormented bodies. Bill Murray is terrific, utterly convincing and charming as the bored movie star, and I have to say that he probably deserved the Oscar more than Sean Penn did for Mystic River. Even Scarlett Johansson, in one of her first big roles, proved that she’s not just a pretty face, but an extremely talented actress, and that she’s a more than capable co-star for the great Murray. It is the two of them, and the perfect chemistry between them, that greatly contribute to the flawless direction and make Lost in Translation one of the most enjoyable films ever made on a similar subject. There wasn't much missing, and even I was swept away to a full review. (22/10/2012)

A distant alien place, loneliness, and sleep deprivation as a ticket to a brief redefinition outside of time and space whose time is inexorably running out. I understood every word on that street. For this film and I speak exactly the same language. (04/02/2019)

Absolutely incredible film, which I managed to avoid for quite a long time. But eventually, I finally watched it and I am incredibly glad I did. It is such an amazing blend of humor, irony, sarcasm, all portrayed in natural acting, it's unbelievable. I know that there are many films where an American (or European) goes to Japan (mostly Tokyo) and has to somehow function there. It could even be a horror movie (like "Lost in Translation" in the U.S.). But in this case, it is presented in such an interesting way that it simply has to captivate you. Bill Murray almost doesn't seem to act at all. He is like a walking empty vase. His conversations with his wife on the phone are unreal, exactly how empty, stereotypical, and realistic they are, yet at the same time, they seem incredibly surreal, like from another world. It is then in an amazing contrast to how Bob, played by Bill Murray, behaves when he is with Charlotte, portrayed by the beautiful Scarlett Johansson (yes, I have a weakness for her). It is an absolutely perfect contrast. With her, he is not empty, he is not black and white, but he is truly colorful. A small, great film, there's really no other way to describe it, and I was literally blown away by it. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/ztraceno-v-prekladu-4-bratri-na-dotek.html (01/03/2013)