My third viewing of Lost in Translation (2003) confirms that writer-director Sofia Coppola’s second feature is a classic, no doubt about it. The acting, cinematography (Lance Acord), and editing (Sarah Flack) are all on point. I especially enjoyed Charlotte’s (Scarlett Johansson) muted yet urbane wardrobe (costume design by Nancy Steiner), and that perfect soundtrack (mostly by Kevin Shields). I can never remember the plot, but who cares. The emotional throughline is crystal clear.
Is the film racist, as Inkoo Kang, among others, has stated? Undoubtedly so, but it was never trying to portray authentic Japan in the first place. As the romance element that isolates Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte together, the cultural setting could’ve been anywhere. It’s unfortunate, though, that the selection of Japan carries such a whiff of Orientalism with it.
But really, I’m writing this piece (loosely defined) to do something I don’t think I’ve done before yet: disagree with Roger Ebert. He writes, “When Charlotte discovers the singer [Catherine Lambert] is in Bob’s room, she’s startled but not angry or heartbroken. Sex wasn’t what she and Bob were about, and he made that clear. When they meet next, they step carefully around that glitch and resume their deeper communication.”
Sorry, no. Charlotte spends the entire lunch sulking. She obviously feels betrayed, but also confused because she knows that Bob knows nothing of her expectations—she hasn’t expressed them. It’s not about the sex for her, true, but at least some part of her sees sex as consummation, and she’s envious of the singer getting the one thing she herself can’t have (regardless of whether she actually wants it). She makes up with Bob during the fire alarm because she realizes, thanks to “the worst lunch,” that her fruitless envy is costing her the relationship with him that she already has. And which she probably prefers, given their respective circumstances.
Finally, I’ll conclude with a question. During the farewell scene, the one in which Bob whispers in Charlotte’s ear, there’s one shot before they part ways that breaks the 180 line, putting Charlotte on the left, facing right. Why?
