What is Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola's second feature film, Lost in Translation, uses images to convey emotion and further the story. A major plot element revolves around the loneliness of the two main characters and their relationships with spouses and with each other. One scene in particular displays the shared feelings these two have. This scene takes place at a small party away from the hotel that the two characters meet. The outfits that the characters wear, the scenery around them, and objects in the frame all come together to bring a certain connection that transcends words, and show that the words would only get lost in translation.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a struggling American actor who is sent to Japan in order to shoot some commercials for a beverage company. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is in Japan at the same time with her new husband while he is on a photography assignment. Feeling unhappy with her marriage and abandoned in a strange country, Charlotte spends most of her time in the hotel room listening to motivational tapes. Bob is depressed with his career and also going through a mid-life crisis, causing him to question his long marriage and spend a lot of time drinking at the hotel bar. One night the two meet at the bar and exchange some small talk. As the film moves on, the two spend more time together in order to have a companion in the foreign country. After a few meetings, Charlotte asks Bob to go out with her and a couple people that she knows in the area and Bob agrees. The actions of the night lead them to a small karaoke party in an apartment room.

One of the most notable things about the party is the outfits of the two characters. Bob is wearing a red, yellow, and orange camouflage shirt inside out. Besides the obvious notion of his mid-life crisis, the shirt also represents some interesting qualities about Bob. The camouflage is usually worn to hide people in dangerous situations, but Bob's outfit does exactly the opposite. His bright colors and his age brings a lot of attention to his clothing and reveal his presence in any room. Also, as an actor, he plays different characters all the time and hides behind different personalities for his job. In real life, he can only hide behind clothing and artificial objects. The shirt shows that he is not entirely comfortable with Charlotte yet and that he is not entirely comfortable with himself. Instead of allowing his personality to show, he hides behind other things.

Charlotte has a notable clothing change as well. At the party, she puts on a pink wig, completely hiding her hair. Her hiding is similar to Bob's because she is trying to be seen differently. The entire trip to Japan has been boring and painful for Charlotte and by wearing a wig and going to the karaoke party she escapes her marriage problems for at least a little while. She becomes a different person who does not have any worries. She is not inhibited while she sings in front of Bob and the other people at the party and she is smiling constantly when Bob sings in front of everyone. The pink hair symbolizes the subtle change in her mindset about Japan. As Charlotte, she cannot enjoy the trip, but as this other person it is not hard to find joy in Japan. The karaoke party signifies a breakthrough for both of the main characters because by trying to lose themselves, they find each other. And in the process, find out something more about themselves.

This breakthrough is first noticeable during the karaoke singing. Both Japanese and American songs are played and sung, but it does not matter to anyone at the party. The language barrier, which has been a problem, especially for Bob, earlier in the film is no longer an issue. Happiness and fun go beyond language and delve into the emotional makeup of each person at the party. Also, when the other is singing, both Bob and Charlotte keep smiling and staring at each other affectionately. By only singing and without ever saying anything to each other they connect. Their head movements and eye contact do all of the communicating that they need, and it helps each one find joy for the moment.

During the party, there is a short scene that finally brings the connection between both characters to fulfillment. It starts with a shot of Charlotte sitting alone in a small, narrow hallway. Still wearing her wig, she is smoking a cigarette. In the same shot, Bob walks through a door and into the hallway, moving over to Charlotte and sitting next to her. This action by itself is more than anyone has done for either of these characters the entire movie. Charlotte has been abandoned by her husband numerous times and Bob tries to avoid his publicity people as much as possible, so his movement towards her is a step forward for both of them. The walls in the hallway are interesting because the tops are white and black striped while the bottoms are just solid blue. In the middle, each type of wallpaper becomes sort of jagged, but fits with the other like a puzzle. This seems to be similar to Bob and Charlottes relationship. They are total opposites in almost every way, but they have somehow come together at the right moment in time for each other, and fit together perfectly.

After a cut, we see Bob and Charlotte sitting next to each other. Bob has taken Charlottes cigarette and taken a puff, then passes it back. They are sharing the cigarette and sharing their feelings. The most interesting part of the whole scene is that they don't talk at all. The music from the karaoke machine is heard in the distance, but no other sound is heard. They don't need to say anything to each other because they know how the other feels. This is the first time the whole night that either one can finally accept their actual feelings. There are no fake smiles on their faces or silly songs to hide behind. Instead, in the narrow hallway which is smaller than either of their hotel rooms, they have finally stopped feeling alone. To end the scene, Charlotte puts her head on Bob's shoulder and rests there. Both of them just stare straight ahead. Again, words would just not be enough to convey the feelings that they have. Instead, they just accept the moment for what it is, and the feelings for what they are without any gimmicks.

Lost in Translation uses costume and setting very effectively to show the emotional state of the characters and the inner feelings that cannot be expressed in words. The title is an obvious statement about foreigners in a country, but it means so much more in this film. What gets lost in translation a lot in life are the feelings that people have. How do you express love, fear, or loneliness without losing something along the way? By showing Bob and Charlotte's feelings instead of forcing dialogue about them, the film is enhanced and the character's can be more accessible to the viewer. The emotional connection between Bob and Charlotte is more real because it transcends language and goes directly into the actual character's feelings.