Lost in Translation

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)

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)

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)

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)

"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)