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(This review contains spoilers. You have been warned.)

For a guy that refused to be taken in by any of that "mushy love crap", Lost In Translation, I must admit, captivated me like no other film concerned with the subject had done before.

That's probably because it's not really what many would define as a "conventional love story". Two of the film's themes are alienation and existential ennui, and it's actually debatable whether or not the connection that develops between the two main characters is that of love at all. They are both married to other people, and never involve in anything physical, apart from a peck on the lips to say goodbye. However, this is more about love on a broader scale, how it can develop within our own lives, when the characters do eventually part ways. There's none of that "mushy" stuff in-between (Thank God).

Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), having accompanied her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) on a business trip to Tokyo, feels lost, lazing around in her hotel room waiting for him to come home on a daily basis. She feels like she doesn't know the man she married anymore, and begins listening to "soul-searching" cassette tapes and visiting cultural attractions, dreaming of something more than the life she is currently living. She shows similarities to Bob (Bill Murray) who, despite being a big-time movie star, is bored of his daily routine and struggles to sleep because of the thoughts that develop late at night being in his hotel room by himself.

The two paths of the main characters cross one evening in the hotel bar, but director-writer Sofia Coppola chooses not to rush things, as if allowing a seemingly natural connection to develop on its own accord. The film is very subtle in its approach: Focusing primarily upon body language at first, Coppola allows the viewer to examine the alienation of the two main characters amongst the beautiful cinematography of a foreign backdrop, which is a reflection of their mood. Later, she deals with the awkwardness of strangers meeting with one another and attempting to find a mutual ground in conversation. The dialog is edgy and hesitant at first, though progresses to being hypothetical in response to the purpose of human life. This is spoken confidently between Johansson and Murray, with both actors showcasing an obvious onscreen chemistry.

The film is successful as it manages to capture an emotional essence from everyday life through the experiences shared by the central characters. Presented is a bittersweet study of human existence, but what makes it so easy to watch is how light-hearted it seems on the surface. Johansson's natural beauty just radiates the screen that it becomes easy to pay attention to the deeper aspects of the film that come later. While Murray expertly finds a medium between independent and mainstream cinema that makes him hilarious, yet recognisable as a serious actor, making the viewer enjoy the film without over-analysing these themes.

I did fear an intimate sexual relationship developing at three-quarters of the way through the film, but thankfully this did not happen -- it would've defied the whole point of the film. Lost In Translation offers much more than a quick, unfaithful romp between two people: From start to finish the viewer is caught in a daze of observation, gracefully taking in the wonderful atmosphere of the characters and location for his own interpretation.

Coppola has managed to create a simple story of real life human interaction with a dreamy aura of poetic independence and acceptance, which delicately arouses the minds of all those who watch it. The whole film is utterly enchanting.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2010.