"Loving in Solitude" - An essay on Lost In Translation

A video essay on Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation - "Loving in Solitude"
Movie Wiki Description: Lost in Translation is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, a fading American movie star who is having a midlife crisis when he travels to Tokyo to promote Suntory whisky. There, he befriends another estranged American named Charlotte, a young woman and recent college graduate played by Scarlett Johansson.
Hi! I'm Lea, I'm an Italian and french cinephile currently studying something that has nothing to do with cinema. I share some of my analyses and comments about movies and spend precious time I should be using to study to edit my videos myself. Hope you like them!
Don't forget to like, subscribe to follow my future videos & comment any feedback :)
Music credit: "I Made This While You Were Asleep" by Chris Zabriskie
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0:00 Start
0:59 Part 1: Protagonists

[@cheritaglorie1953]

“She sticks little pins in this bubble that bring you back to reality” favorite sentence 😍😍

[@leaonthehill9857]

cherita glorie 🥺❤️

[@xa6734]

to the admin: come make more movies essays. loved your worked in this one.

[@michaelkugler7836]

I'm like 1 minute in and already getting emotional like damn this is so good wtf, the vibes the ambiance, your editing the whole aesthetic of this video is amazing. I'm sincerely in awe and I've barely begun this video. Haven't watched the the movie but it seems very cool and ugh idk if it's the way you speak about it or what but it's great. I'm so invested and it's been 1:08 lmao.

[@lunadelvolgo1184]

Makes me want to watch this movie for the millionth time but with a whole other perspective. Also dayum the editing is good, the whole vibe of the video is as soothing as the actual movie

[@leaonthehill9857]

U’re the reason I finished it, thank you bby

[@0xsunil]

@@leaonthehill9857 Makes me want to edit and upload my thoughts as well. Thanks for this video.

[@Jackissimus]

I deeply appreciated your take on this movie, although I know that my view is so different, affected by the male perspective. You say the viewer feels weirded out by the protagonists' attraction. I didn't feel weirded out, I felt sad. As an aging male, I now feel pretty certain that I will always be attracted to youthful looking women and just basically their body parts. Even as I know I hate that feeling within me, I know it will never completely go away. And I would probably hate myself if I ever acted on it. This deep sense of male shame and the associated loneliness (you usually can't share that with anybody, lest you be judged) is what I saw in Murray's acting. He has that want of freedom and experiencing something exciting, but he knows in his age that he can never do it, because he would hate himself and destroy everything he had ever built. What I took from your take is that Coppola is really genius in making a movie that both sides of the gender divide can appreciate.

[@jakebendermusic]

my favorite film of all time and this commentary was very well done, thank you for putting it together.

[@GeroEA]

your writing is beautiful, please continue with this project and make more videos :((

[@leonarddecausmaecker8154]

this essay is beautiful... "In the gray area of misunderstanding, of impossibility left to the rules of chance in the microcosm that she builds."

[@MonkehBuns]

This was exactly what I needed. One of my favorite movies but you don't hear a lot of analysis about it. Thank you!

[@earthling9891]

beautiful analysis!!!! such calm and calming editing, intelligent remarks and just overall really well done

[@donagnello]

Thanks for sharing this. It is beautifully done and I feel it renders the true essence of a movie that I would never get tired of watching, thinking “someone gets me”.

[@leaonthehill9857]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm glad you liked it:)

[@dariosmoviereviewchannel7555]

Thank you soooooooo much! Why does this moviescenes feel realer than life sometimes.

[@kenb.1212]

Lea, Wonderful, beautifully written essay! Thank you so much for this.

[@thelockenbubi7117]

Really good essay :) Please continue your work, you're really talented and it's lovely to hear your thoughts and be swept away in the mood of the film!

[@michaelkugler7836]

Amazing. 10/10 production you aced it. I'm sad now and nostalgic in a way but also happy. gonna go watch the movie rn lol. I heavily commend you to make more and wow like I wish u were paid for this cuz it was incredible.

[@leaonthehill9857]

Michael Kugler Thank you so much for all of your comments on this. Love u tons. Tell me what you think of the movie ;)

[@andrecedric5120]

Merci Lea pour cet essai que je trouve très réussi ! Tout d'abord, le cadre de ta vidéo, l'ambiance, le choix des séquences avec l'extrait d'interview de Sofia Coppola. Je te trouve très juste quand tu parles du silence, de leurs discussions très profondes et de l'absence d'étrangeté aux silences qu'il y a entre eux. ça me fait beaucoup penser à une phrase de Uma Thurma dans Pulp Fiction : " That's when you know you have found somebody special. When you can just fuck up for a minute and confortably share silence." Et dans des styles oopposés, les 2 réalisateurs que sont Coppola et Tarantino sont passés maître dans la maîtrise des silences et des non dits. Et malheureusement on ne voit plus beaucoup de films où les réalisateurs ne se sentent pas obligés de faire verbaliser les émotions entre 2 protagonistes de film ou de combler tous les silences. La dernière fois que j'ai retrouvé ce jeu des silences, c'était dans la série Normal People. Pour le reste, j'ai beaucoup aimé ton analyse. Merci beaucoup !! J'espère vraiment qu'il y aura d'autres vidéo Lea.

[@leaonthehill9857]

Merci beaucoup pour ton commentaire et ton analyse! Je suis ravie que tu ai pu comprendre et ressentir mon interpretation du film (qui reste personnelle bien évidemment). J'espere pouvoir en re-faire une autre, j'en ai plein d'écrites en tout cas. Merci pour tout

[@juanignaciomoyano8788]

Thank you so much for this video, i hope you're doing really well, this is amazing, art in itself

[@NotMeInc]

Please keep making more videos, this is honestly great!

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you so much! I'll try and follow your advice:)

[@Kevin60611]

just an amazing movie, a thought provoking analysis. Thankyou, so close to my reality.

[@scootertart]

Wonderful soulful essay about a wonderful soulful film- thank you.

[@tommarion6083]

Beautiful, Beautiful essay. Thank you!!!😀😀😀

[@eXilz0]

Amazing essay. Please do more!

[@emmamoricharles-angele1716]

this was fantastic, super well made i want moreeee

[@leaonthehill9857]

Emmamori Charles-Angele Coming your wayyy

[@a.nonymous2089]

I love this movie!!! And great analysis.

[@dutchcube565]

Very good essay. It is one of my favorite movies

[@cheritaglorie1953]

Je vais le faire en français mais wow enft j’ai pas lâché une seule seconde tu m’as captivée avec le montage la musique d’ambiance et ta voix avec ce perfect accent j’ai jamais vu le film mais ducoup go go now ! L’analyse est superbe et j’ai kiffer tes play on words 😏😏 J’suis deja fan j’ai hâte du prochain episode !! T’es deja une pro enft 🎉

[@leaonthehill9857]

cherita glorie Merci merci merci, ça fait super plaisir (merci d’avoir remarqué mes jeux de mots haha)

[@cedric9098]

Tu gagnes un abonné Peu probable de voir une suite à cette chaîne un jour et en même temps… Quel meilleur film que lost in translation !

[@EronHenderson]

Loved it. Great job telling the story of a story

[@leaonthehill9857]

Thank you so much, happy you liked it:)

[@globetrekker86]

Two of my favorite ambiguous movie moments are the *whisper* scene in Lost in Translation and Lieutenant Kenji Mamiya reading Chieko’s letter in Babel. As much as I zoom in on the kanji, I can’t discern what the letter in the latter scene says

[@DHIRAL2908]

Loved this video!

[@lamaludwig1470]

love the movie, love the essay

[@wendyjimenez8796]

excellent work

[@BJ-zd2or]

7:01 your right on that, I didn't even take any thought of bob wife as he had an affair, I was thinking more of Charlotte. Mainly because the interactions from his wife were devoid of his feelings in the tub, reaching out, but was cut off by saying. "Do I need to worry about you bob?" "Only if you want to...." A moment of connection, but was left with a withdrawal by saying. "Bob I got things to do...." That there left bob isolated. And to me with Charlotte as the closet even though they knew each other for few days. The wife wasn't anything I could reach on, by just being just the other, the wife he doesn't sadly know anymore or really cares about him.

[@Michael-ky5yn]

Favorite movie ever

[@judeosborne3177]

Great video 👍

[@jackthaone]

I just watched your "Lost In Translation" analysis today for the first time. And oh my god you made this three years ago, where did the time go huh? I loved it by the way. Will you ever make more videos like this? I hope you do. I'm American by the way in Hawaii alone, but very much in love like these two in the film.

[@leaonthehill9857]

Crazy to think I made this 3 years ago, maybe a bit shameful haha but I hope I can come back with more, I have them all written down! Thank you for your comment :)

[@jackthaone]

@@leaonthehill9857 Of course and I hope you do. I got my fingers crossed for you to make more videos.

[@kenstablerslefthand5443]

Love this movie!! 😭

[@saggyqueefius9172]

upload more pls i like this a lot

[@mwj5368]

Not long before the end there is a fire alarm and all in the building have a safety gathering. I feel it was then it was another scenario (like Charlotte’s reaction when Bob had the one night stand) of them finding each other in a more serious relationship fringing on not being platonic. So at the fire alarm gathering Bob said he wasn't sure about going back and a very big deal to me was when Charlotte firmly said "So don't. Stay here with me. We'll start a Jazz band." and she laughed but Bob didn't. Really though the "So don't..." part was seriously said as even Charlotte's tone of voice dropped (a kind of tonal linguistic aspect of the English language), a sign of seriousness. Also I didn't see Bob wearing his wedding ring. Even in the very final kiss he holds Charlotte's head in his hand and his left hand is major on the screen. He does not have his wedding ring on. To me that’s a big deal but maybe Bob was one who didn’t like anything metal on his hands like a ring. Also in the end Charlotte’s husband John communicates to her via a printer like Bob’s wife was communicating to him. Even though they are geographically apart it just seems symbolic, distant instead of John at least speaking to her on the phone. Even after the big whisper they look relieved like, “liberated”, like it wasn’t a forever end. I think they intended to meet again. Also the song, “Just Like Honey” plays and I think that is symbolic too. Thanks for your great insights and all the work to make such a nice video!

[@hugoguillensastro9915]

incredible content! Congratulations

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you so much!

[@johncreighton908]

Brilliant analysis..

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you very much it means a lot

[@user-rw9tv9dj6r]

Nice.

[@melvin8696]

I don’t think they fall in love, it was a platonic brief romance meant to be to move forward.

[@hantosk]

If something is platonic couldn't be consider as true love?

[@nirmalganeriwal2962]

Hey, why didn't you upload more videos. This one is really mesmerizing. Hope you come back soon to this channel!

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you for your comment it's really sweet :) I do hope to post more soon and for the next one to be as mesmerizing as you found this one to be

[@stefanovergari9815]

Nobody actually thought that Sofia and Bill...actually...

[@sudhanshprasad8436]

Aesthetic of the video

[@gusmaclean7877]

Ohgreat narration

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you :)

[@mpgski9598]

Is love for each other the same as 'falling in love'? Existentialism or Zen? Buddhist koan: If Bob whispers to Charlotte in Tokyo and no one in the audience hears it, was it love?

[@leaonthehill9857]

I really like your first question, that's the right one to ask for this film. Lovely take, since the whole film seems to isolate the characters so much maybe we weren't even supposed to know about them if no one had said anything :)

[@mpgski9598]

@@leaonthehill9857 I've always seen this as a spiritual movie. Charlotte goes to a temple, Bob in front of Mt Fuji the Olympus of Shinto, Bob sings "More Than This There is Nothing" sounds kind of Zen, Bob waits for Charlotte's hurt foot, Bob returns Charlottes coat at the end, the silent ending. All seem spiritual to me. I can understand vlog comments that think the movie slow, uneventful, but its shooting for a higher mark. The most vapid vlog comments want to turn Bob into a sexual vampire like any number of movies. Bob just enjoys reliving a few nights of his youth with Charlotte. They both seem released temporarily from their respective trapped lives. Bob is wise enough to not spoil the moments sweetness. Thank Sophia for not spoiling it either!

[@globetrekker86]

The morning after Bob’s one-night stand was unsettling to watch. On one hand, Bob doesn’t owe Charlotte anything. On the other… what the heck, man?! If not for Charlotte’s effect on him, Bob’s fling would be forgivable. After all, his own wife sees him as nothing more than a colleague and co-parent (not even a life partner)

[@MrBmick79]

I think he did it with her because he was too scared to do it with Charlotte....

[@krisnendubiswas3374]

Make some more videos you are good

[@125ZJK]

When this movie faded to black😢 I wanted a sequal..... years later catch up with both of them

[@xPersonguyyx]

💛💙💜💚❤

[@Sherlock277]

Just curious to know what it your take on how the movie is criticism for its depiction of Japan?

[@leaonthehill9857]

Thank you for your question and sorry if I'm replying so late. I didn't know about the criticism it got until a few months ago. While I would never go against how Japanese people perceived the movie as offensive I do think that maybe this misconception or wrong depiction of Japan works as the impression first-time visitors get, and that impression will be stereotyped and biased. The movie uses Tokyo as a foreign place to reinforce the solitude of the characters not to show Japan but maybe even more show how lost or biased Americans are. I hope this doesn't mean I condone misrepresentation but I'd say it might play with this "biased first impression" look on Tokyo.

[@Sherlock277]

@@leaonthehill9857 That's one way of looking at it. Thanks.

[@justinvasquez2626]

First!

[@JohnRomero_motomoto]

Don’t let me leaving get between us…. Okay?….. okay

[@shawonzaman2588]

Lol.. You released only one video in your chanel, but you were much promising.. Guess you are a busy person in your real life..

[@leaonthehill9857]

thank you! I do hope to post more soon (I should be less busy now as you correctly guessed)