Within its premise, “Lost in Translation” reveals much about the human condition and connection, how people are brought together and separated. Sofia Coppola’s film goes beyond telling this to the audience, instead framing the main characters in a way that communicates the same sentiments of disconnection and togetherness.
In a video essay by Fabian Broeker, images are juxtaposed and characters are brought together by the presence of a physical line. The symmetry by which Coppola captures Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson detects the equal nature of their characters. Both lost but bearing similarities in their perplexing stagnation of life, Coppola amplifies their likeness by framing Johansson and Murray in separated, mirrored, or converging manners.
Layered by the film’s commentary on language and communication, we find the film visually communicating to us where these characters are in terms of their connectedness and relationship. We even find mirrored frames of mind. Seeing Johansson at one moment staring out of the window of a car in a medium shot, while Murray has a close up from within the car he sits in. Then the same image is recreated when the characters’ positionality is changed.
Sofia Coppola’s celebrated film — nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Bill Murray, and Best Director — is charged with the idea of connection in a world where we often times cannot find the words to communicate. In the subtlety of her script, Coppola brings two unlikely characters together to show us how very much alike they are. Though we may not be able to hear the commentary of human convergence and connectedness, we see it adequately displayed onscreen, no words necessary. “Lost in Translation” visually tells us a story when language is not enough.