Lost in Translation. 2003. USA. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola. With Bill Murray, Scarlett Johanssen, Giovanni Ribisi. 35mm. 102 min.
Coppola mined her own experiences of traveling to Tokyo as a young woman, the feelings of alienation, boredom, and grace that come with visiting a foreign city, for Lost in Translation, and the film’s success marks a pivotal moment in her career. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star as melancholic travelers who find each other in the Park Hyatt Tokyo and form a unique, if temporary, bond somewhere between friendship and romance. Coppola’s keen observational eye locates small, often overlooked moments that become the heart of her film—and that have become a hallmark of her filmmaking style. A surprise hit upon its release, Lost in Translation garnered Coppola an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.