Sorry Sofia, you're not for me ...

Sofia Coppola, Director - Film Inquiry

Lost in Translation is definitely not a favorite of the movies we watched in class. For our first female-directed class film, I expected more female empowerment rather than an introduction shot of Scarlett Johansson in pink panties or having Scarlett Johansson. She was 17 at the time of this film being made in a relationship with Bill Murray's character in the movie. As a female, I don't feel very empowered or proud. I do see Sofia Coppola's auteurist style, even if I disagree with her approach.

Scarlett Johansson's character "Charlotte" looking out her hotel window

If I had to sum up Coppola's mise-en scène style with Lost In Translation, it would be how she uses blues and greyish colors to represent loneliness. The colors give off a cold feeling. It was a very gloomy blue and grey tone that seemed to cascade throughout the film, in contrast to Tokyo's bright lights and heavy traffic. The color brings a very somber tone to the film that never really leaves. Even the characters' outfits are very subtle and toned in the color pallet. Her use of setting brings a lot of meaning too. Her characters look out the window with long gazes, trying to find their purpose. The primary set being in the hotel gives it an almost jail-like feel. A place that supposes to represent luxury ends up feeling cold and sterile, almost like a hospital room. The characters don't feel comfortable in there even though they should. Japan's landscape feels fresh and new to both the audience and the characters.

Charlotte and Bob running through Tokyo

Moving into the story, I didn't enjoy the story. I understand the appeal, but it just was not for me. I like portraying a sense of connection and wanted the parallelism between Bob and Charlotte. Two people of different ages, in other parts of their life, but a similar identity crisis and their marriages. Add this disconnectedness with their partners' on top of moving and working in a whole new country can leave one feeling lost. I get a constant theme of loneliness from both characters—the emphasis on waking up in bed alone. The long gazes Charlotte has outside the window. The blue-grey-toned world this movie seems to have. All emphasize this feeling of loneliness. Even when Charlotte and Bob go to hang with some of Charlotte's friends, that feeling of disconnection is still there. Only when you open yourself to connecting with someone else, sharing parts of yourself with them, can you find a genuine connection.

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One reason this movie was not for me is I don't like age-gap romances. I thought the movie worked better as platonic or maybe more of a father/daughter dynamic. But seeing it as a relationship isn't my cup of tea. Another reason this movie is not for me is the character's attitude toward Japanese people and culture, along with the cultural stereotypes in the film. As someone who studied abroad in South Korea last semester, I went through a similar feeling of loneliness and being "lost in translation." But I learned the language and met the people of the country. I didn't complain about their food or how "they use Ls instead of Rs." 

This video summarizes my points on the poor cultural awareness in the film the best: 

Ultimately, this movie saddened and disappointed my expectations for our first female auteur film in class. I understand her reasonings for using the "male gaze" to her advantage, but I think the "male gaze" of film work should be eliminated. Other ways to frame a character don't involve sexualizing them, even if you're trying to prove a point. But the content of this film just wasn't for me either. The age-gap love story is not my cup of tea, and the cultural insensitivity makes for a disappointing movie. However, it makes me appreciate how Hollywood has shifted and allowed more women and women of color to create films so that people of said culture can direct movies about other cultures. It makes for a more authentic story.