Alexandre A
An unexpected duo. Bob and Charlotte found themselves in an unknown "world" (Japan, Tokyo) where decoding the language wasn't enough.
Both characters are changing throughout the movie, and although it's slow-paced, it's a nice watch;
They mold each other in such a short time and then drift apart, a realistic ending when we're far from home.
This movie should be watched by Erasmus students abroad. You're in a new place, and try to find similarities that reduce the loneliness felt.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/06/25
Full Review
Chorong P
Deep emotional connections sometimes, and fortunately, transcend generations. They don’t demand excessive effort, drama, or trivial conversation—ironically, all elements often considered essential for forming bonds. To be able to understand this movie, I feel very much lucky. loved the movie
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/03/25
Full Review
Leprechaun K
One of my favorite movies of all time. Coppola should have won Best Director. Top 10 for sure.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/28/25
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Marcus K
Good movie. Always love bill murray and Scarlett is amazing.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/23/25
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David Q
一部很不错的电影，有着很好的配乐与富有氛围感的迷离的，梦幻的，画面。内容与剧情也十分的引人深思
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/25
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Roki Y
I have been looking for a film noir that suits my longing for nightlife. I have to admit that Lost in Translation filled the emptiness in my heart.
Unlike the majority of viewers, I was born and raised in Japan and have lived in the Greater Tokyo area for almost ten years. I understand every word of Japanese spoken in the film, yet I found myself feeling a strong sense of sympathy for Bob Harris.
Bob, a once-famous Hollywood actor facing a midlife crisis, arrives in Japan to promote Suntory whiskey for two million dollars. From the very beginning, he is overwhelmed. Tokyo’s urban landscape, with its towering neon signs and restless energy, is nothing like what he knows. The language barrier deepens his sense of isolation—he can’t understand what anyone around him is saying. Although he has a translator, she is so helpless that she fails to properly convey the director’s instructions for the commercial or even Bob’s own questions. He is, quite literally, “lost in translation.”
Struggling with jet lag, he desperately tries to get some decent sleep, but his efforts are in vain. Night after night, he ends up in the hotel bar, sipping whiskey in quiet solitude.
After a few restless nights, Bob realizes he is not alone in his disconnection. Charlotte, a recent college graduate, is staying at the same hotel with her husband, John, a professional photographer. But while John is absorbed in his work, Charlotte is left alone every day, unsure of what to do with herself. She has a degree in philosophy, but her husband dismisses her as snobbish. She tries to find something to enjoy in Tokyo, but she feels nothing.
Bob was fed up with his marriage. His wife constantly tried to communicate with him, but their conversations were about trivial matters—like their carpet color, something he clearly didn’t care about. He called her not out of love, but out of loyalty. He wasn’t happy, and he knew it. He also knew he should be acting, not doing superficial advertising jobs. But what unsettled him the most was a deeper feeling of dissatisfaction, one he couldn’t quite put into words.
I believe this realization was at the heart of Bob’s midlife crisis. Even back in the U.S., he was tired and unhappy—he just hadn’t confronted it yet. His time in Japan only made it more obvious. He longed to do something different, but he felt trapped. Somehow, Charlotte carried the same quiet frustration.
Martin Heidegger, the German philosopher, described our society as a play. We all play a role in everyday life: a father plays the role of a father, a student plays the role of a student, and an office worker plays the role of an office worker. We are so busy living our lives that we devote ourselves to these roles, often without realizing it. Heidegger called this state das Man—a condition in which we lose sight of our authentic selves. But sometimes, out of nowhere, we find ourselves in solitude and begin to wonder, “Is this really who I am?”
Every character in Lost in Translation was das Man, except for Bob and Charlotte. Unlike the others, they realized they were just playing roles. Bob was playing the role of an actor, and Charlotte was playing the role of a housewife. Neither of them felt these roles reflected their true selves. This realization was what they had in common, and it was why they became so close despite their significant age difference.
Strangely, I found myself deeply relating to Bob’s feelings, even though I am only 33 years old—too young, perhaps, to be experiencing a midlife crisis. I am married and have an eight-year-old son. I was born and have lived in Japan my whole life, yet I feel no different from Bob.
Sometimes, I feel as though I am not truly myself. Every day, I play the role of a nine-to-five worker, the role of a father, and the role of a husband. None of them feel entirely right. I am not unhappy, but there is a quiet sense of disconnect, as though I am watching myself from the outside. Bob’s loneliness, his sense of being adrift, resonated with me in a way I didn’t expect.
When they were together in Tokyo, they could finally let go of their assigned roles and simply be themselves. That shared understanding became a quiet source of comfort and joy, gradually forming a connection that was somewhere between friendship and something more—something delicate, fleeting, and bittersweet.
Many of us experience isolation in society, and Lost in Translation captures that solitude and alienation with breathtaking cinematography.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/17/25
Full Review
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