Lost in Translation is a 2003romanticcomedy-drama film[note 1] written and directed bySofia Coppola.Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, a fading American movie star who is having amidlife crisis when he travels toTokyo to promoteSuntory whisky. He befriends another disillusioned American, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a recent college graduate and married for two years.Giovanni Ribisi,Anna Faris, and Fumihiro Hayashi are also featured. The film explores themes of alienation and disconnection against a backdrop ofcultural displacement in Japan. It does not use mainstream narrative conventions and is atypical in its depiction of romance.[4]
Coppola started writing the film after spending time in Tokyo and becoming fond of the city. She began forming a story about two characters experiencing a "romantic melancholy"[5] in thePark Hyatt Tokyo, where she stayed while promoting her first feature film, the 1999 dramaThe Virgin Suicides. Coppola envisioned Murray playing the role of Bob from the beginning and tried to recruit him for months. While Murray eventually agreed to play the part, he did not sign a contract. Coppola spent a quarter of the film's $4 million budget without knowing if he would arrive.
Principal photography began on September 29, 2002, and lasted 27 days. Coppola kept a flexible schedule during filming with a small crew and minimal equipment. The screenplay was short and Coppola allowed significant improvisation during filming. Thedirector of photography,Lance Acord, usedavailable light where possible, and many Japanese places of business and public areas were used as locations. After 10 weeks of editing, Coppola sold distribution rights for the United States and Canada toFocus Features, and the company promoted the film throughword of mouth.
Lost in Translation premiered on August 29, 2003, at theTelluride Film Festival, and was distributed to American theatres on September 12, 2003. It grossed $118 million worldwide and received acclaim for its writing, directing and performances, though its depiction of Japan andJapanese people was criticized.[6] At the76th Academy Awards,Lost in Translation won CoppolaBest Original Screenplay, and the film was nominated forBest Picture,Best Director andBest Actor (Murray). Other accolades won include threeBAFTAs and threeGolden Globes. It has since been named one of thegreatest films of the 2000s and 21st century.[a]
Charlotte, another American staying at the hotel, is a youngYale graduate in philosophy who is accompanying her husband John while he works as a celebrity photographer. Charlotte is feeling similarly disenchanted as she questions her marriage and is anxious about her future. They both struggle additionally with bouts ofjet lag andculture shock in Tokyo and pass the time loitering around the hotel, Charlotte also tryingikebana by chance.
Charlotte is repelled by a vacuous Hollywood actress named Kelly, who is also at the hotel promoting a film. Kelly bumps into Charlotte and John, gushing over photography sessions she has previously done with him. Bob and Charlotte frequently cross paths in the hotel and eventually start to connect in the hotel bar.
After several encounters, when John is on assignment outside Tokyo, Charlotte invites Bob into the city to meet some local friends. They bond over an evening in Tokyo, where they experience the city nightlife together and end up singing at akaraoke box. In the days that follow, Bob and Charlotte spend more time together, and their friendship strengthens. One night while watching television and drinkingsake, while neither can sleep, the two share an intimate conversation about Charlotte's personal uncertainties and their married lives.
Bob has a cold conversation with his wife, then spends the night with a jazz singer from the hotel bar. Charlotte hears the woman singing in Bob's room the next morning, leading to tension between Bob and Charlotte during ashabu-shabu lunch together. The pair encounter each other in the evening and Bob reveals that he will be leaving Tokyo the following day.
Bob and Charlotte reconcile and express how they will miss each other, making a final visit to the hotel bar. The next morning, when Bob is leaving the hotel, he and Charlotte share sincere but unsatisfactory goodbyes. On Bob's taxi ride to the airport, he sees Charlotte on a crowded street, stops the car, and walks to her. He then embraces her and whispers something in her ear. The two share a kiss and say goodbye before Bob departs.
He was trapped.... When you go to a foreign country, truly foreign, there is a major shock of consciousness that comes on you when you see that, "Oh God, it's just me here." There's nobody, no neighbors, no friends, no phone calls—just room service.
The film's writer-director,Sofia Coppola, has describedLost in Translation as a story about "things being disconnected and looking for moments of connection",[23] a perspective that has been shared by critics and scholars. In a cultural sense, Bob and Charlotte are disoriented by feelings of jet lag and culture shock as a result of foreign travel to Japan. Bob is bewildered by his interactions with a Japanese commercial director whom he cannot understand, realizing that the meaning of his communication is "lost in translation" by an interpreter.[24][note 3] Moreover, both are sleepless from a change in time zone, choosing to cope with their wakefulness by making late-night visits to the hotel bar. Such feelings provoke a sense of estrangement from their environment, but they also exacerbate deeper experiences of alienation and disconnection in their lives.[4] Bob and Charlotte are both in troubled marriages and facing similar crises of identity, as Charlotte is unsure of what to do with her life and questions what role she should embrace in the world, while Bob is invariably reminded of his fading stature as a movie star and feels disassociated from the identity by which he is already defined.[26]
Such experiences are heightened by the characters' contact with the city environment of Tokyo. Bob feels alienated by seeing his likeness used in an advertisement while he is driven from the airport to his hotel, and the colorful cityscape is rendered as a frenetic environment by which he is overwhelmed.[27][note 4] Charlotte feels adrift as she attempts to find meaning while wandering Tokyo,[28] and feels isolated as she peers over the city from her hotel room window.[29] The Park Hyatt Tokyo offers hermetic qualities that insulate the characters from the city and is the site Bob chooses to seek refuge from his ails.[30] These shared impressions of alienation create common ground for Bob and Charlotte to cultivate a personal connection.[4] When Charlotte invites Bob to experience the Tokyo nightlife, she reduces his sense of distance from the city[4] and the two develop a connection based on small moments together. In the little time they have together, each realize they are not alone in seeking a sense of something deeper in their lives.[31] Coppola, speaking about the brief nature of their encounter, remarked, "For everyone, there are those moments when you have great days with someone you wouldn't expect to. Then you have to go back to your real lives, but it makes an impression on you. It's what makes it so great and enjoyable."[32]
Geoff King, a scholar who wrote a book about the film, comments that the experiences of the central characters are one factor that lendsLost in Translation to varied interpretations by academics.[33]Todd McGowan reads the film from aLacanian psychoanalytic perspective, arguing that the film encourages the embrace of "absence" in one's life and relationships.[34] He describes Coppola's depiction of Tokyo "as a city bubbling over with excess", which offers an empty promise of gratification.[35] In his view, both Bob and Charlotte recognize that they cannot find meaning in Tokyo's attractions, so they bond over their shared sense of emptiness in them.[35] Lucy Bolton offers a feminist reading, arguing thatLost in Translation evokes the thought of feminist philosopherLuce Irigaray by highlighting issues of young womanhood. She argues that the film provides a complex portrait of Charlotte's female subjectivity and an optimistic rendering of the character's pursuit for individual expression.[36]
Lost in Translation has been broadly examined in terms of its narrative structure, with commentators noting that it contains few plot events as compared with films in the Hollywood mainstream. Narrative events are mostly focused on the development of Bob and Charlotte's relationship,[37] with few "external" obstacles that impact the central characters.[38] King notes, "More time is taken to evoke the impressions, feelings, and experiences of the central characters",[39] which represents "a shift in the hierarchical arrangement of [film elements]" that prioritizes character experiences over plot.[40] The literary critic Steve Vineberg argues that "the links of the story are indeed there, only they're not typical cause-and-effect connections. They're formed by the emotions that gather at the end of one episode and pour into the next".[41] King maintains that while the plot does progress according to a basic linear causality,[37] "If the episodic quality often seems to the fore, this is partly a matter of the pacing of individual sequences that are very often leisurely and dedicated to the establishment or development of mood and atmospherics".[39] Coppola said she wanted the story to emphasize the qualities of an intimate moment, and she did not want to impose grandiose narrative devices on the characters such as "a war keeping them apart".[42][note 5]
Lost in Translation has also been noted for defying the conventions of mainstream romantic films. Film historian Wendy Haslem writes that the classic romantic comedy assures the audience that the couple has a future, but Coppola defies expectations by refusing to unite the central characters.[4] She points to elements such as Bob and Charlotte's lack of sexual consummation as one factor that obscures whether their pairing is more romantic or platonic. Writing about the concluding sequence in which the characters make their final goodbyes, Haslem argues, "Conventionally in mainstream cinema, the kiss... signifies resolution by reinforcing the myth of romantic love. But in this new wave of contemporary anti-romance romance, the kiss signifies ambiguity."[4] The academic Nicholas Y.B. Wong contends that the film's lack of "heart-melting connections and melodramatic (re)unions between characters" represents apostmodern portrait of love, writing thatLost in Translation is "about non-love, the predominance of affairs and the complexities of intimacy. Characters vacillate between falling in love and out of love. They are neither committed to someone nor emotionally unattached."[27] Coppola said Bob and Charlotte's relationship is "supposed to be romantic but on the edge.... [A] little bit more than friends but not an actual romance.... To me, it's pretty un-sexual between them—innocent and romantic, and a friendship."[44]
The film's opening shot, a 36-second take of Charlotte's lower back and buttocks as she lies on a bed wearingsemi-transparentpink panties and a gray sweater with white T-shirt underneath, as the credits begin to roll, has been another point of discussion among critics and scholars. It is based on the photorealist paintings ofJohn Kacere[47] and has often been compared to the initial appearance ofBrigitte Bardot's character Camille Javal in the 1963 filmContempt.[note 7]
Slate criticDavid Edelstein called the scene the only "head-scratcher" in the film, which he otherwise appreciated:[48]
The meaning of this image is less transparent than Johansson's attire, but my guess is that Coppola wants us to see the whole film as the vaguely erotic dream of an alienated young woman. She wants to make this woman's detachment from this culture, and from her own body, hypnotically sexy, and to put the longing for human connection into your bloodstream from the first frame. But I was mostly thinking about her butt crack.
It has been described as a foreshadowing of a romance between Bob and Charlotte,[note 8] but other writers have a different interpretation. Correspondingly, the academicMaria San Filippo maintains that "[Coppola] doesn't seem to be making a statement at all beyond a sort of endorsement of beauty for beauty's sake."[49] King notes that the image contains both "subtle" and "obvious" appeal in its combination of aesthetic and erotic qualities, which signifiesLost in Translation's position betweenmainstream andindependent film.[50]
While film scholar Todd Kennedy interprets it in terms of feminist film theoristLaura Mulvey's conception of themale gaze, arguing that the shot "lasts so long as to become awkward—forcing the audience to become aware of (and potentially even question) their participation in the gaze",[51] other critics see it as inherently subverting the objectification of Charlotte. Haslem argues that "Coppola's intention with this opening shot appears to be to defy taboos and to undermine expectations surrounding what might be considered the 'money shot' in more traditionally exploitative cinema."[4] Bolton points out that Charlotte's "state of undress is not designed to be seen by anyone else, as she is alone in the room. Her solitary, meditative state de-sexualizes her appearance by naturalizing her appearance as the state of undress a woman would be likely to adopt if she was on her own."[52] Fiona Handyside elaborates on Kennedy's notion, that the stillness of the image reduces its voyeuristic appeal and "the very weight of time pulls [Charlotte] from being pure empty iconic spectacle and into the material matter of history itself."[53]
"I don't have a really good reason for it", Coppola said when asked to explain the shot. "It's just how I wanted to start the movie. I liked having a hint of the character—a sweet, young girl waiting around in her hotel room—and then go into the story".[54] Suzanne Ferriss, a film scholar who has written extensively about Coppola's work, notes that in the original screenplay, the film opened with Harris's arrival and then went to Charlotte in the hotel. Due to this change, Coppola's comment belies the complexity of the shot. Ferriss observes that the first 10 seconds lead the audience to believe it might be looking at a still, until Charlotte shifts her upper leg:[55]
... [linking] moving and still images, demonstrating an awareness of fine art tradition and a recognition that film is, in fact, a series of still images projected at 24 frames per second. Second, it highlights cinema's unique ability to make meaning through editing ... The film's opening is a bold assertion of cinema's status as an art, like the painting it references, references, or literature, which similarly relies on the audience's imaginative engagement to find meaning...
The film's concluding scene—in which Bob and Charlotte embrace in a Tokyo street and he whispers inaudibly in her ear—has generated sustained commentary over two decades.[56] Coppola said she did not write the line, and that Murray said it was "something that should stay between them".[57]
Viewers have attempted to determine the words, including a 2007 video that claimed to isolate the dialogue by digitally enhancing the soundtrack.Entertainment Weekly highlighted the clip while cautioning that its accuracy was uncertain.[58][dead link] Neither Coppola nor the actors have endorsed any transcription, and subsequent criticism has emphasized that the unknowability of the line is integral to the ending.[59][60]
After dropping out of college in her early twenties,[61] Coppola often traveled to Tokyo, trying out a variety of jobs in fashion and photography.[62] Unsure of what to do for a career, she described this period as a "kind of crisis"[61] in which she meandered around the city contemplating her future.[54] She came to feel fond of Tokyo, noting an otherworldly quality brought on as a foreigner grappling with feelings of jet lag in an unfamiliar setting.[63] After many years, she settled on a career in filmmaking and returned to the city, staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo to promote her first feature film, the 1999 dramaThe Virgin Suicides.[32][note 9]
Coppola began writingLost in Translation after returning home from this press tour.[23] Having been influenced by her background in Tokyo, she resolved to write a screenplay set there[32][note 10] and began forming a story about two characters experiencing a "romantic melancholy" in the Park Hyatt Tokyo.[5] Coppola was long attracted to theneon signs of the city and envisaged Tokyo taking on a "dreamy feeling" in the film.[62] She recruited her friendBrian Reitzell, who ultimately served as the film's music producer, to createdream pop compilation mixes that she listened to while writing to help establish this mood.[65]
Coppola did not initially write the screenplay in traditional script form, citing the difficulty of mapping out a full plot.[5] Instead, she opted to write "little paragraphs" largely based on disparate impressions and experiences of her life in Tokyo, which she then adapted to a script.[5] Among the first images she included was of her friend Fumihiro Hayashi performing a karaoke rendition of theSex Pistols' "God Save the Queen", which Coppola saw him perform during the time she worked in Tokyo.[54] After writing the first 20 pages with help from her brother,Roman Coppola, she returned to Tokyo for further inspiration.[23] There, she videotaped anything she could use as a further writing aid.[44]
Coppola envisioned Murray playing the role of Bob from the beginning, wanting to show off "his more sensitive side"[44] and feeling amused by the image of him dressed in akimono.[32] She described her mental pictures of Murray as a significant source of inspiration for the story.[17] For the character of Charlotte, Coppola drew from her own feelings of early-twenties disorientation, citing the strain in her relationship with her then-husbandSpike Jonze as an influence for the relationship between Charlotte and John.[66] She also drew inspiration fromJ. D. Salinger's character Franny Glass inFranny and Zooey, finding appeal in "the idea of a preppy girl having a breakdown".[61]
As she developed the relationship between Bob and Charlotte, Coppola was compelled by the juxtaposition of the characters having similar internal crises at different stages of their lives.[67] She cited the dynamic betweenPhilip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) and Vivian Sternwood Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) inThe Big Sleep as a source of inspiration for their relationship.[23] Coppola reported doing little re-writing of the script,[31] which took six months to complete[23] and culminated in 75 pages, much shorter than the average feature film script.[68][note 11] Despite worrying that the screenplay was too short and "indulgent" for including assortments of her personal experiences, she resolved to begin production of the film.[61]
Coppola maintained that she would not have madeLost in Translation without Murray.[47] Murray had an800 number for prospective clients interested in casting him, but he had a reputation as a recluse who was difficult to contact.[70] Coppola relentlessly pursued him and sent telephone messages and letters for months.[67] She also sought people in her professional network that might help her make contact.[46] She recruited screenwriterMitch Glazer, who was a longtime friend of Murray's, to accept an early version of the script and try to persuade him.[66] Glazer was impressed with the story and said he called Murray frequently, telling him, "You need to read this",[70] but he would not provide an answer.[66] After up to a year of cajoling, Murray finally agreed to meet with Coppola at a restaurant to discuss the film.[66] He then accepted the role, saying "she spent a lot of time getting me to be the guy. In the end, I felt I couldn't let her down."[46]
Despite Murray's agreement, Coppola had to take him at his word, as he did not sign a formal contract.[23] She described this as "nerve-wracking", wondering if he would show up for filming in Tokyo.[23] She discussed the issue with directorWes Anderson, who had previously worked with Murray and encouraged her, saying, "If he says he's going to do it, he'll show up."[23] For Murray's co-star, Coppola liked Johansson's performance inManny & Lo, remembering her "as a cute little girl with that husky voice".[32] She then invited Johansson to a restaurant to discuss the role.[45] Initially worried that the 17-year-old Johansson might be too young to play a character in her twenties, Coppola concluded that she appeared older and could convincingly play the part.[71] Coppola offered Johansson the role without an audition, which she accepted.[45]
Feeling a sense of personal investment in the project, Coppola wanted to maintainfinal cut privilege and feared that a distribution deal with a North American studio would threaten her influence.[23] It was also unlikely that a studio would provide such backing, given the short length of the screenplay and Murray's lack of formal involvement.[72] Instead, she and her agent opted to sell foreign distribution rights to an assortment of companies to fund production costs of $4 million.[23] She struck a deal first with Japan'sTohokushinsha Film, then with distributors in France and Italy, and finally with the international arm ofFocus Features for the remaining foreign market.[23] By piecing together the funding from multiple distributors, Coppola reduced the influence of any single financier.[72] Still not knowing if Murray would show up in Tokyo, Coppola spent $1 million of the budget,[23] knowing that his absence would doom the production. When he finally arrived, days before filming, she expressed significant relief.[73]
The idea for Bill Murray's character doing an advertising campaign for Suntory came from Coppola's fatherFrancis Ford Coppola and directorAkira Kurosawa's Suntory Whiskey advertisement from the 1970s. In 2023 for Suntory's 100th anniversary, and 20 years after the appearance ofLost in Translation, she was asked to direct the company's anniversary tribute video starringKeanu Reeves, with a mix that included scenes from her film along with footage of her father and Kurosawa's original advertisement.[74][75]
The production used bystanders as extras in public areas such asShibuya Crossing (photograph taken in summer of 2002, with the walking dinosaur advertisement visible on the QFRONT (Tsutaya) building[76]).
Principal photography began on September 29, 2002,[77] and lasted 27 days.[32] With a tight schedule and a limited $4 million budget, filming was done six days per week, without permits,[78] marked by a "run-and-gun" approach: Coppola was keen to stay mobile with a small crew and minimal equipment.[44] She conducted few rehearsals and kept a flexible schedule, sometimes scrapping filming plans to shoot something she noticed on location if she thought it better served the story.[25][note 12] Since the screenplay was sparse, missing details were often addressed during shooting, and Coppola allowed a significant amount of improvisation in dialogue, especially from Murray.[31] One example includes the scene in which Bob is being photographed for Suntory whisky, wherein Coppola encouraged Murray to react to the photographer spontaneously as she whispered names for the man to repeat to Murray as unrehearsed dialogue, such as "Roger Moore".[17][31][note 13]
While key crew members were Americans that Coppola invited to Tokyo, most of the crew was hired locally.[25] This proved to be challenging for the production, as most of the Japanese crew could not communicate with Coppola in English, so both sides relied on translations by a bilingualassistant director and agaffer.[44] The production encountered frequent delays while translations took place and suffered from occasional cultural misunderstandings, such as one example when Coppola described a shoot in a restaurant that ran 10–15 minutes late, something she said was normal on an American shoot,[32] but it prompted the restaurant owner to feel disrespected; he subsequently disconnected the crew's lights and the film's Japaneselocation manager resigned.[23] Despite this, Coppola said she worked to adapt to a Japanese style of filmmaking, not wanting to impose an approach that her crew was not used to.[44]
Coppola worked closely to visualize the film with herdirector of photography,Lance Acord. She showed him and other key crew members a book of photographs she created that represented the visual style she wanted to convey in the film.[31] To evoke a sense of isolation in Bob, Coppola and Acord used stationary shots in the hotel and avoided conspicuous camera movements.[79] They also had numerous discussions about shooting onvideo, but they ultimately decided that film better suited the romantic undertones of the story.[44] Coppola remarked, "Film gives a little bit of a distance, which feels more like a memory to me. Video is more present tense".[44] Acord believed that new film stocks would reduce the need for excessive lighting, ultimately usingKodak Vision 500T 526335 mm stock for night exteriors and Kodak Vision 320T 5277 stock in daylight.[80] Most of the film was shot with anAaton 35-III camera. For some confined locations where the Aaton would have been too noisy, aMoviecam Compact was used.[80]
With high-speed film stocks, Acord chose to utilizeavailable light as often as possible,[81] only supplementing with artificial lights when necessary.[80] He reported "never really" rigging lights for night exteriors, relying on the natural light on Tokyo's city streets.[80] For interior sequences in the Park Hyatt Tokyo, he relied mostly on the hotel's practical lighting sources, shooting at a wide openf-stop and heavilycutting the light to eliminate reflections in the hotel window.[82] Acord said he heard objections about lighting from some of the Japanese electricians, who were unaccustomed to relying so much on available light and were concerned that the exposure would not be sufficient.[83] Acord, assured that the film stocks would hold up against lower lighting, ultimately shot much of the film two stops underexposed.[81]
On public streets and subways, the production did not secure filming permits[47] and relied on city bystanders asextras.[44] Coppola described the shooting as "documentary-style"[32] and was worried at times about getting stopped by police, so she kept a minimal crew.[44] In the hotel, the production was not allowed to shoot in public areas until 1 or 2 a.m. to avoid disturbing guests.[92] In the film's concluding sequence in which Bob and Charlotte make their final goodbyes, Coppola reported being unhappy with the dialogue she had scripted, so Murray improvised the whisper in Johansson's ear.[31] Too quiet to be understandable, Coppola considereddubbing audio in the scene, but she ultimately decided it was better that it "stays between the two of them".[31] After production concluded, Coppola supervised 10 weeks of editing bySarah Flack inNew York City.[43]
Selected filming locations
Yasukuni-dōri in Kabuki-chō, with theDonki store at the corner[93]
During the screenwriting stage, Coppola spoke to Reitzell about the "moody" and "melancholic" qualities she wanted the music to convey in the film, as well as what Reitzell understood to be the "strange, floating, jet-lagged weirdness" that would define the central characters.[65] Coppola said she wanted the soundtrack "to be less like a score" and more like the dream-pop mixes Reitzell made to assist her writing of the film.[32] While Shields had released little music since the release ofLoveless in 1991,[99] at Reitzell's suggestion, he and Coppola enlisted him to help write original music for the film;[100] Reitzell believed Shields "could capture that droning, swaying, beautiful kind of feeling that we wanted."[65] He then joined Shields inLondon for some two months[101] of overnight recording sessions, and they used the screenplay anddailies from production as inspiration while they worked on songs for the film.[65] Shields commented on the challenge he felt in songwriting for a film, saying "I was barely aware of the language of music that's not essentially just for your ears. ... In the end, just the physical movement of the film, that was a delicacy. And I suppose that's why I ended up doing stuff that was so delicate."[98]
King argues that music often plays the most significant role in setting mood and tone in the film, writing that it is substantial "in evoking the dreamy, narcotised, semi-detached impressions of jet-lag" as well as broader feelings of alienation and disconnection, "making what is probably the largest single contribution to the widespread understanding of the film as a 'mood piece'."[102] He points to the use of "Girls" by Death in Vegas, featured in the early sequence in which Bob is driven from the airport to the hotel, arguing that it "plays a role equal to if not dominating that of the visuals..., creating a drifting, ethereal and somewhat dreamy quality that precisely captures the impressions of temporal and spatial disjunction".[103] He also points to the use of "cool and distant" tracks like "Tommib", used in the extended sequence featuring Charlotte observing Tokyo while seated in her hotel room window, as playing a significant role in establishing feelings of isolation and disorientation in the character.[104] In King's view, some sequences feature combinations of music and visuals so as to function as "audio-visualset pieces", which offer distinct points of appeal in the film for its target audience.[105]
Coppola did not sell distribution rights for the United States and Canada until she and Flack finished editing the film.[68] In February 2003, the director showed the film to top executives at the domestic arm of Focus Features,[68] the company to which it had already sold most of the foreign distribution. The prior contract proved to be significant for Focus, as it received privileged access to the film while competing buyers complained that they were restricted to the viewing of a three-minute trailer in the Focus offices at theAmerican Film Market.[106] Coppola initially offered the domestic distribution rights for $5 million, but she decided to sell them to Focus for $4 million, citing her appreciation for the international deals the company had secured for the film.[68]
Once Focus was involved, it began promoting the film by employing a conventional "indie-style" marketing campaign.[107] The strategy involved generating positive word of mouth for the film well before its September 2003 release.[108] The distributor arranged advance press screenings throughout the summer of 2003 and combined this with a magazine publicity campaign.[108][note 15] Posters and trailers emphasized the recognizable star presence of Murray, highlighting his performance in the film's comic sequences, which favored wider audience appeal.[109] Immediately prior to its release, Focus placedLost in Translation infilm festivals and hosted "intimate media screenings" that included question-and-answer panels with Coppola and Murray.[68] Many of these marketing tacks were designed to promote the film at minimal cost, a departure from more costly strategies often employed in the Hollywood mainstream, such as major television advertising.[107]
Lost in Translation had its premiere on August 29, 2003, at theTelluride Film Festival in the United States.[3] Over the next week, it appeared at the60th Venice International Film Festival and the2003 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It opened to the public inlimited release on September 12, 2003, at 23 theaters in major cities in the United States.[110] The film had already generated speculation aboutOscar contention from advance screenings and was noted for opening several weeks earlier than expected for an indie vying for awards—a risk being that opening too early might cause the film to be forgotten by the time nominations were made for major prizes like the Academy Awards.[108][111] Focus Features co-presidentsJames Schamus andDavid Linde commented that the company chose an early release date on the basis of factors including the film's quality and early marketing campaign, as well as a lack of competition from other films.[108] The strategy was intended to giveLost in Translation more time to command the marketplace.[112]
Graph showing the estimated number of theaters in whichLost in Translation played in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico in 2003–2004.[113] Focus Features expanded its theater presence in January after it received nominations for the 76th Academy Awards.
The film grossed $925,000 in its opening weekend and was expanded the next week from 23 theaters to 183[108] in the top 25 markets of the country.[110] There, it grossed more than $2.62 million over the weekend[114] and nearly paid off the total budget of the film. It enteredwide release on October 3,[note 16] its fourth weekend, peaking at a rank of seven in the box office chart;[113] a week later, it expanded to an estimated 882 theaters, the film's highest theater count over its run.[113]Lost in Translation grossed an estimated to-date total of $18.5 million through October 13[113] and was noted byThe Hollywood Reporter to have been performing well even "in smaller and medium-sized markets where audiences don't always respond to this type of upscale material".[108] Following this performance,Lost in Translation saw a gradual decline in theater presence progressing into the new year,[113] though it was expanded again after the film received nominations for the76th Academy Awards.[115] The film was widened from a late December low of 117 theaters to an estimated 632 at the end of January, ultimately ending its run in the United States and Canada on March 25 and earning $44.6 million.[113] Its international release earned $74.1 million, for a worldwide total of $118.7 million.[113]
The DVD ofLost in Translation was released on February 3, 2004,[116] and includes deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a conversation about the film featuring Murray and Coppola, and a music video for "City Girl",[117] one of the original songs composed for the film by Kevin Shields. Wanting to capitalize on the publicity surroundingLost in Translation's presence at the Academy Awards, Focus Features made the unusual move of releasing the film on home media while it was still screening in theaters, immediately after its Oscar nominations were announced.[115] The strategy was seen as risky, as the industry was generally concerned that theatrical revenues could be harmed by early home video release.[115]Lost in Translation ultimately earned nearly $5 million from its first five days of video rentals and sold one million retail copies during its first week of release.[118] Early returns showed it was the second-best selling DVD during this period[118] while the film screened in 600 theaters and box office revenues dropped 19% from the previous week, whichVariety described as "relatively modest".[119] Focus credited the performance to positive word of mouth and cited the marketing for the film on both media as helpful for whichever platform consumers chose.[119]
Lost in Translation was later released on the now-obsoleteHD DVD format on May 29, 2007,[120] and onBlu-ray on December 7, 2010.[121] In June 2023,Kino Lorber announced it would release the film onUltra HD Blu-ray, but they cancelled the release in early 2025, saying "it was becoming [a] very complicated release with lots of people to please."[122][123][124]
Lost in Translation received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Murray's performance and for Coppola's direction and screenplay.[125] OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 236 reviews, with anaverage rating of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Effectively balancing humor and subtle pathos, Sofia Coppola crafts a moving, melancholy story that serves as a showcase for both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson."[126] OnMetacritic, which assigns a rating to reviews, the film has an average score of 91 out of 100 based on 44 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[127]
Critics widely praised Murray's performance as Bob, commending his handling of a more serious role that was combined with the comic persona for which he was already broadly known. Edelstein argued that it was "the Bill Murray performance we've been waiting for", adding that "his two halves have never come together as they do here, in a way that connects that hilarious detachment with the deep and abiding sense of isolation that must have spawned it".[48]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly regarded Murray's performance as Oscar-worthy and lauded it as his "most vulnerable and unmannered" to date; she praised his treatment of a more delicate role as well as his improvisations in the film's comic sequences.[128]Roger Ebert gaveLost in Translation four out of four stars and named it the second best film of the year, describing it as "sweet and sad at the same time as it is sardonic and funny".[129]The New York Times criticElvis Mitchell had similar praise, callingLost in Translation "Mr. Murray's movie" and remarking that the actor "supplies the kind of performance that seems so fully realized and effortless that it can easily be mistaken for not acting at all".[130][note 17]
Coppola received a similar level of acclaim for her screenplay and direction.Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times commented thatLost in Translation was "tart and sweet, unmistakably funny and exceptionally well observed—[which] marks... Coppola as a mature talent with a distinctive sensibility and the means to express it".[131] Much of the praise was directed specifically at her attention to qualities of subtlety and atmosphere; David Rooney ofVariety praised the film as "a mood piece", adding that its "deft balance of humor and poignancy makes it both a pleasurable and melancholy experience".[132] Likewise,Salon criticStephanie Zacharek lauded Coppola as a "stealth dramatist" whose understated narrative style made for an artful depiction of emotion; she praisedLost in Translation as an intimate story that marks Coppola as an exceptional filmmaker.[133]
In his review forThe New York Observer,Andrew Sarris called the film "that rarity of rarities, a grown-up romance based on the deliberate repression of sexual gratification ... when independent films are exploding with erotic images edging ever closer to outright pornography, Ms. Coppola and her colleagues have replaced sexual facility with emotional longing, without being too coy or self-congratulatory in the process."[134]USA Today gave the film three and a half stars out of four and wrote that it "offers quiet humor in lieu of the bludgeoning direct assaults most comedies these days inflict".[135]Time'sRichard Corliss praised Murray's performance: "You won't find a subtler, funnier or more poignant performance this year than this quietly astonishing turn."[136] His performance has been likened to the sardonic persona ofW.C. Fields.[137][138]In his review forThe Observer,Philip French wrote: "WhileLost in Translation is deeply sad and has a stronglyAntonioniesque flavour, it's also a wispy romantic comedy with little plot and some well-observed comic moments."[139] InThe Guardian,Joe Queenan praised Coppola's film as "one of the few Hollywood films I have seen this year that has a brain; but more than that, it has a soul."[140]Rolling Stone'sPeter Travers gave it four out of four stars and wrote: "Before saying goodbye, they whisper something to each other that the audience can't hear. Coppola keeps her film as hushed and intimate as that whisper.Lost in Translation is found gold. Funny how a wisp of a movie from a wisp of a girl can wipe you out."[141]J. Hoberman, in his review for theVillage Voice, wrote: "Lost in Translation is as bittersweet a brief encounter as any in American movies sinceRichard Linklater's equally romanticBefore Sunrise. ButLost in Translation is the more poignant reverie. Coppola evokes the emotional intensity of a one-night stand far from home—but what she really gets is the magic of movies".[142]
Praise was also offered for Johansson's performance as Charlotte; Rooney commented that she "gives a smartly restrained performance as an observant, questioning woman with a rich interior life",[132] and Turan added that Johansson "makes what could have been an overly familiar characterization come completely alive".[131]
Lost in Translation was listed as a best film of 2003 by numerous critics.[143][144]Roger Ebert added it to his "great movies" list on his website.[129] DirectorQuentin Tarantino includedLost in Translation in his list of top 20 films released since 1992, when his career as a filmmaker began.[145] It has since been commonly ranked by critics as one of thegreatest films of the 2000s and 21st century.[b]
Lost in Translation received some charges ofOrientalist racial stereotyping.[6] The filmmaker E. Koohan Paik argued that its comedy is "rooted in the otherness of the Japanese people", and that the story fails to offer balanced characterizations of the Japanese. Paik wrote that it is "the shirking of responsibility to depict them as full human beings, either negative or positive, which constitutes discrimination, or racism".[156] The artist Kiku Day wrote inThe Guardian: "There is no scene where the Japanese are afforded a shred of dignity. The viewer is sledgehammered into laughing at these small, yellow people and their funny ways."[157]
Japanese distributors were concerned about how it would be received.[158] The critic Yoshiro Tsuchiya ofYomiuri Shimbun wrote that Coppola's representation of Japan was "outrageously biased and banal".[159] Perceptions of stereotyping also led to a campaign by an Asian-American organization that urged members of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to vote against it at the 76th Academy Awards.[160]
The film scholar Homay King argues that while the film does little to counter Orientalist stereotypes, it fails to establish the perspective from which Japanese representations are made, writing that "the film [does not] sufficiently clarify that its real subject is not Tokyo itself, but Western perceptions of Tokyo... When Japan appears superficial, inappropriately erotic, or unintelligible, we are never completely sure whether this vision belongs to Coppola, to her characters, or simply to a Hollywood cinematic imaginary."[161] King wrote that while depictions such as Charlotte's alienation from experiences likeikebana are evidence that the film abstains from the Orientalist "mythology of Japanese tradition as source of solace", the film often situates Japan as a source of "difference" for the characters by relying on crude jokes andstereotypes of Japanese people as "crazy" or "extreme".[162]
Coppola was surprised by the criticism, saying, "I think if everything's based on truth you can make fun, have a little laugh, but also be respectful of a culture. I just love Tokyo and I'm not mean-spirited ... I think that everything you do, people could be offended by — unless you're just trying to be nice about everyone." She said the film "came from experience", and gave the example of theconfusion between L and R sounds, which appeared on thedaily call sheets.[63]
Retrospectives published around the film's 20th anniversary emphasized its enduring cultural footprint and debated aspects of its representation. Commentators noted that the movie helped refresh international fascination with Tokyo while acknowledging that some depictions of Japanese people have aged poorly.[183][184] A Japan-based appreciation published the same week argued that, despite frequent claims that the setting is incidental, the film's specific sense of place could only have been achieved in Tokyo.[185]
The film has remained closely associated with thePark Hyatt Tokyo—especially its New York Bar—which became a recurring destination for visitors seeking to recreate scenes from the movie. Coverage marking the movie’s anniversary described the hotel as having “been Tokyo’s most famous luxury hotel” since the film and noted that guests still visit for that connection.[186] In 2024 the Park Hyatt suspended operations for a property‑wide renewal beginning May 7, with the hotel expected to resume operations in the fourth quarter of 2025; the renovation was framed as preserving the property’s “timeless” character while modernizing facilities.[187][188]
The line “For relaxing times, make it Suntory time,” delivered by Murray’s character in a whisky commercial, became a widely quoted catchphrase in U.S. media and helped cement the association between the film and Japanese whisky in the popular imagination.[189] In 2023, the House of Suntory marked its centennial with an anniversary spot directed by Coppola and starringKeanu Reeves that explicitly nodded to the film and its “Suntory time” legacy.[190]
Critics and profiles at the time also identified the film as a major career turning point forScarlett Johansson, signaling her transition to adult roles and mainstream stardom.[191]
"City Girl", a music video done with material that Sofia Coppola did not use in the film.
Her, directed by Coppola's ex-husband,Spike Jonze, and also starringScarlett Johansson; it shares similar themes of loneliness, human connection, and the search for meaning in the modern world.
^The film has been noted for its resistance to any single genre classification. While it has been labeled in terms such as "romantic comedy", the film has been identified for integrating elements from multiple genres, including romance, comedy, and drama. For one discussion ofLost in Translation's position between genres, seeKing 2010, pp. 60–75.
^Lambert was an actual performer in the bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Coppola saw her sing "Scarborough Fair" at the hotel a year before filming and later induced a manager to help identify her so Coppola could cast her. Lambert performed the same song in the film.[17]
^This scene is an homage to a Suntory commercial Coppola's father,Francis Ford Coppola, shot withAkira Kurosawa in the 1970s.[25] Coppola said that like Bob, Murray did not understand what the man playing the director was saying. She remarked that "I like the fact that the American actors don't really know what's going on, just like the characters."[24]
^Some commentators have described Tokyo itself as a third major character in the film. For examples, seeSan Filippo 2003, p. 28, andPlate 2004, para. 4.
^Coppola has acknowledged her appreciation for "meandering mood pieces"[31] and cited influences forLost in Translation from films such asL'Avventura,La Dolce Vita,[17] andIn the Mood for Love.[43]La Dolce Vita is briefly featured by Coppola in a scene in which Bob and Charlotte are watching the film on television while drinkingsake.
^Johansson was initially apprehensive about wearing sheer panties for the shot, but she conceded after Coppola showed her what they looked like by modeling them personally.[45] Johansson said that a male director would not have been able to convince her to wear them.[46]
^For example, seeSmith, Paul Julian (2004). "Tokyo Drifters".Sight & Sound. Vol. 14, no. 1. p. 13.
^Coppola has spoken favorably about her personal experiences staying at the hotel. She has described the locale as a "silent floating island" within the "chaotic" city environment of Tokyo,[44] and she has named it one of her "favorite places in the world".[32]
^After its release, Coppola calledLost in Translation a "valentine" to Tokyo[64] and cited a desire to portray what she liked about the city as one reason for making the film.[44]
^A feature film script is typically 90–120 pages.[69]
^One example includes the sequence featuring Charlotte walking throughShibuya Crossing. When Coppola noticed that rain had made the area look hazy and atmospheric, she scrapped filming plans in a nearby arcade to shoot the sequence.[23]
^Other examples of significant improvisation during shooting include the scenes that occur in the karaoke box[23] and sushi restaurant.[32]
^abcdefgHaslem, Wendy (April 2004)."Neon Gothic:Lost in Translation".Senses of Cinema (31).Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. RetrievedJune 1, 2020.With Coppola's latest film conventions are revised and consequently the expectations of the audience are challenged.
^abcdOlsen, Mark (January 2004). "Sofia Coppola: Cool and the gang".Sight & Sound. Vol. 14, no. 1. p. 15.
^Gehring, Wes D. (January 2004). "Along Comes Another Coppola".USA Today.132. The Society for the Advancement of Education: 59.ISSN0161-7389.
^Alleva, Richard (December 5, 2003). "About a Boy: Kill Bill-Volume 1 and Lost in Translation".Commonweal.130 (21). Commonweal Foundation: 14.ISSN0010-3330.
San Filippo, Maria (Winter 2003). "Lost in Translation".Cineaste. Vol. 29, no. 1. pp. 26–28.
"The Co-Conspirators".Interview. Vol. 33, no. 9. October 2003. pp. 54–60.
Wong, Nicholas Y.B. (2009). "Loving You by Not Falling in Love: The Postmodern Representation of Love in Chunking Express and Lost in Translation".Screen Education. No. 53. pp. 131–137.
![Yasukuni-dōri in Kabuki-chō, with the Donki store at the corner[93]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aShinjuku-Kabukicho-Tokyo.jpg)
![Bar of the Park Hyatt[94][95]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNew_York_Bar_Unplugged%2c_Park_Hyatt_Tokyo_(8376387540).jpg)
_23.jpg)
.jpg)
![Stepping stones in the gardens of Heian Shrine, Kyoto[96]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHeian-jingu_shinen_IMG_5748_0-25.JPG)
