Rent Lost in Translation on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Sofia Coppola
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Two Americans cross paths in Tokyo, Bob a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial and Charlotte a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband.
Verdict
These two people, completely different in almost every regard, meet. Despite the potential adventure in the city, they are both lonely and bored, connected because they are Americans in a foreign city. Together the time becomes more tolerable. Part of it could be the thought of a forbidden romance, though neither of them act on it. They have a temporary friendship that will disappear over time. It will at some point just be a moment in Tokyo, more dream than memory. There's just as much happening off screen as we wonder how each got to this point in life and what the future holds.
It depends.
Review
Bob (Bill Murray) is in Tokyo doing a whiskey commercial, having to navigate a place where he doesn't understand the language or culture. He's out of place. Somewhat famous, he hoped he could go out in public without being recognized, but he's soon spotted and retreats back to his room. While filming the commercial, he's skeptical of the director's translator as the directing is saying a lot more than what Bob is getting.
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| Bill Murray plays Bob |
Charlotte accompanied her boyfriend to the city. He's on a job as a photographer while she stays home. It leaves her a lot of free time to explore the city, but she's lonely as she's by herself most of the time.
Whether you're established and wealthy or young and getting by, Bob and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) are both lost in Tokyo, outsiders. Neither of them seem to want to be in the city. Bob is there just for the paycheck, never quite sure what his handlers are translating for him. Charlotte followed her boyfriend and probably didn't have much of a choice. They're both don't have anyone.
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| Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte |
Two people that likely would have never interacted due to age or economic class become friendly in Tokyo as they're two of the few that speak English. They're also staying in the same hotel, seeing each other frequently at the bar. They hang out in the hotel together and even go into town. A frank conversation about their personal lives only strengthens their bond as they share difficulties and frustrations.
After a unsatisfying conversation with his wife, Bob hangs out with a jazz singer. When Charlotte sees them together, she's upset. While they're both in relationships, maybe it was the possibility of something more. It could have just been that she saw them as the only two in the city, linked by their loneliness, and now that's gone. Bob joined the jazz singer because he was particularly lonely and she was nearby. Soon after, Bob is set to leave and he exchanges an uncomfortable goodbye with Charlotte.
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| Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray play Charlotte, Bob |
They share one last moment before he departs, an embrace and a kiss as he whispers something unheard in her ear. What is it? That depends on your perspective. I'd like to think he whispered that there are good and bad times. How you weather them depends on your perspective. Equally plausible is that he could have told her how he enjoyed his time in Tokyo specifically because of her. They were two lost souls with that in common.
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