Director
Sofia Coppola
Leading Actors/Actresses
Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, and Fumihiro Hayashi
Genre
Romantic Comedy
Language
English
Awards
Lost in Translation was nominated for four Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Actor for Murray, Best Director for Coppola, and Best Original Screenplay for Coppola (winner)
Date of Release
September 12th, 2003
Producer
Sofia Coppola and Ross Katz
Setting and Context
Tokyo, the early 2000s
Narrator and Point of View
Lost in Translation is told through the point of view of Bill Murray's Bob Harris.
Tone and Mood
Isolated, Solemn, Jovial, Energetic, Romantic, Lovely, Fun, Strange, Mysterious, Sluggish, and Sad
Protagonist and Antagonist
Bob Harris/Himself
Major Conflict
Bob's struggle within himself to regain inner peace and tranquility and to ultimately find love again
Climax
The climax of the film occurs when Bob and Charlotte meet up for the last time and separate afterwards.
Foreshadowing
The opening shots of Charlotte foreshadows the time when she and Bob lie on a bed together but do not have sex.
Understatement
Charlotte's naivete is understated a bit throughout the film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Lost in Translation is undeniably well-made and well-shot. However, it is not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.
Allusions
To the Bible, mythology, culture (particularly Japanese culture), other movies and the film industry in general (The Big Sleep, especially), literature, geography (places across Japan), history, religion (Shinto/Buddhism/Christianity), science, technology, popular culture, cultural movements, and philosophy.
Paradox
Bob is a movie star yet is not able to find a suitable girlfriend/wife.
Parallelism
There are no major instances of parallelism in Lost in Translation.
