My Favorite Movie

Movie: Lost in Translation
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson

I am a sucker for films that expose different cultures because they are so rich in information as well as entertainment. I watched Lost in Translation a week after it came out and found it a bit boring yet beautiful and artistic. It is a story of two tourists, Bob (an old actor) and Charlotte (a newlywed), who find themselves lost in Tokyo's culture and language. Japan becomes a character itself. At first the audience is introduced to the softer, shy features of Japan such as Kyoto (don't remember if it actually was Kyoto). As the movie goes on, the rougher side of Japan starts to show itself through the sleazy bars and the loud karaoke parties.The characters weren't perfect (which is a great plus for me). Bob was an actor but also a middleaged man, tired of his 25-year-old marriage with his nagging wife. Charlotte is a Philosophy graduate who doesn't do anything but follow her husband, a photographer, wherever he goes for a shoot. They were so real that you would immediately relate or even fall in love with their unique personalities. The acting was very natural. I'm not so fond of Scarlett Johannson, though. However, her collected stance and her observant character made Charlotte a true philosopher. Bill Murray will always be Bill Murray and that's all I can say about him. The movie was filled with interesting dialogue and funny one-liners (all thanks to the sarcastic Bill Murray.) Another thing I love about the movie is the cinematography. It is always in the Subjective point of view (through the character's eyes) to show us exactly the culture they see and also in the Objective point of view (normal) to show us the quirky antics of Japanese people. It also shows us the colorful buildings and fashion of Tokyo, some things frequent travellers would appreciate.