Does It Get Easier? -Lost In Translation

The real climax of Sofia Coppola's 2003 film "Lost in Translation" is when Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) discuss life based around the question "does it get easier?"  The scene begins with a high angle shot of the two of them lying on a bed.  This birds eye view symbolizes that they are both powerless in relation to their topic of discussion, life.  When Charlotte first asks Bob if it gets easier, he says no.  However, she then turns towards him, which shows that she is looking for him to provide hope to her life and did not get the answer she was hoping for.  He then changes his stance and says that is does get easier because he recognizes her hopelessness and wants to help her.  It is clear that he doesn't truly believe that life becomes easier as he looks away from her as he says it.  Bob then says "the more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you."  This time, he is speaking from the heart which is demonstrated by him turning towards her as he speaks.  Charlotte then talks about her lack of direction in life, showing that she doesn't know who she is so it may not get easier.  Bob demonstrates his care for her by in saying "I'm not worried about you", but he looks away as he says it.  The directions of their eyesight are deliberate and intended to give the viewer insight into the mind of the two.  Charlotte is looking towards him this whole time, desperate for advice in how to find happiness.  Meanwhile, Bob is looking away because he isn't happy himself and can't look her in the eye as he lies while attempting to comfort her.

     

Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation directed by Sofia Coppola, has a very different style from all of the other films we've watched. Unlike There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men, beginning of this film does not seem to have a clear and definitive plot or purpose. While viewing this film, I noticed that many students and myself were not always sure as to what was going on or what the overall purpose of the film was. However, as we continued watching the film I began to think of it as a story that shows the similarities and strange connection between two characters who would appear to have nothing in common, yet are connected through their outlooks on each of their lives. For example, Scarlett Johansson's character Charlotte, is only twenty-one whereas Bob the man she forms a relationship with, is at the age where he is having a mid-life crisis. By having two contrasting characters linked in such a way that leads them to form a close relationship, I think the director's purpose was to show how even the most unlikely people can find common interests or struggles that they can bond over. One particular aspect of Sofia Coppola's directing style that I noticed help make this film very natural seeming, was the use of many different types of frames. She used many close-up frames in order to show Charlotte's inner struggles with feeling trapped in a hotel room all day, and profile shots of Bob that allowed both his surroundings, and him to be shown. I also think Coppola's use of a very soft color scheme combined with light music are elements that helped set a casual, yet intimate tone to the film. As a whole I enjoyed the film, however I was not very interested or captivated from the beginning. Instead, as the movie progressed I grew more interested in the characters and how their relationship was going to turn out.

Big in Japan (Lost in Translation)

Many of us have been away to summer camp; spending weeks with friends in a strange or unfamiliar home away from home. When the time comes to leave there is always a saddening moment when we realize that we don't want to go back, wishing that things could stay perfect just the way they are. Camp for me was always an escape where I could delve into life without any constraints. For some odd reason, these feelings were recreated when watching the final few minutes of Lost In Translation. Bill Murray's character comes to Japan, from what we pick up on very quickly, as some sort of mundane, necessary business trip that he has to put up with for the week he spends in Tokyo. For most people flying half way around the world would be seen as some sort of escape from the usual norm... Yet between moments of a Japanese Director screaming in your face and being tormented by your wife from another continent about carpet colors, Bob Harris is nowhere near "free". I believe that it was only when he met Charlotte did he see a reflection of his own constrained and dwindling life. These two new friends explored, experienced and took in the world around them in any which way they wanted to. There were no odd reasons for these feelings that reminded me of childhood freedom, in fact it has nothing to do with being a child. As slow paced and uneventful Lost in Translation could be at times, the film carried a message that it's important to look at the world and people around you, and to see what it and they can offer you besides the life you already have.

No COuntry for old men: JoEy ScHulMAn

Society is built upon a foundation of norms, but not all individuals adhere to said norms, some are outliers. If the actions of an individual causes pain onto another, society defines that the normal reaction for that individual would be to exhibit a state of empathy, but this is not always the case, as there are those who do not feel or exhibit the normal psychological reactions to differing scenarios (sociopaths). As individuals’ progress and experience obstacles in their lives, they become familiar with the different aspects of their mind, such as their persona, shadow, and self, ultimately achieving individuation. In Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, the state of individuation is demonstrated by the antagonist Anton Chigurh at the onset of the novel. In Anton Chigurh’s quest for the stolen satchel of money, Chigurh remorselessly murders all those who are obstacles to attain the satchel, including competitors. Through Chigurh’s varying experiences during his expedition, Chigurh’s constant impersonal persona, sadistic shadow and sociopathic self, portray him as an individual who has attained individuation prior to the onset of the story. 

No Country for Old Men Fargo

While No Country for Old Men, the film, remains faithful to the 2005 novel, the film also shows glimpses of themes that the Coen brothers had explored in their earlier movies. The novels themes that consist of chance and a plethora of hit men are familiar territory for the Coen brothers. As seen in Fargo where hit men are hired to capture Jerry’s wife. Critics acknowledged the presence of chance to both the novel and the film. The lives of the three major characters, Bell, Moss, and Chigurh, are the result of chance, which then seals their fate. McCarthy’s Chigurh believes in a rationality that is clearly all his own, shown by his coin flips. In his mind, he must kill anyone who gets in the way of his plan. All in all the Coen brothers kept the script faithful to the book, only trimming the story where necessary and adding visual and audial effects to bring McCarthy’s story to life.

Fargo & No Country

The two Coen Brothers' films, Fargo and No Country for Old Men, are both highly acclaimed movies. Both are quite similar, with very similar plot points. They're known for their loveable, quirky characters, living happily, almost obliviously in their folksy world. One thing that is noticeable with both Coen Brothres' film, is that the action is abrupt. The violence will occur in quick, short bursts, before the movie goes back to the folksy atmosphere that it had before. Its's a dark break from the calmness that they had beforehand. But the difference is with the deliverance of the violence. In Fargo, the violence is offset by a strange, twisted kind of dark comedy. The violence is graphic, but the way the characters act so nonchalantly about death and morality, coupled with the sudden violence, creates a kind of shock value that makes the viewer kind of laugh at the whole thing, while being disturbed at the same time. In No Country for Old Men, this is not so much the case. There is little comedy to be found in it, as most of the characters are somber, world-weary men, especially Officer Ed Tom Bell. Focus is put on the message of a new, more violent world emerging while the convenience and geniality of a simpler time is long gone. Tom Bell says this or hints at something to this effect several times throughout the movie. It is a lot more somber, and most of the comedy is found in the fact that there's an emotionless killer interacting with a town full of inexperienced country folk more than anything else.

Snow and Setting in Fargo

The snowy, flat setting of Fargo is hugely beneficial to its cinematography. The snow on the ground and in the sky is often used to create a blank white canvas upon which other figures are placed. This not only means that the image becomes beautiful in color, as the frame becomes predominantly white with subtle bluish gradients, but also beautiful in composition. Many well-done exterior compositions in the film would not be possible if the setting were different.

This extreme wide shot of a car driving across the horizon is when we first meet Showalter and Grimsrud. Wide shots like this one typically put the horizon two-thirds of the way down from the top of the frame in order to follow the rule of thirds. However, the horizon here is much lower and the sky basically fills the whole frame. The camera is able to be tilted so far up for this shot because it purposefully emphasizes the snowy whiteness of the sky. Doing so shows the isolation and sparseness of rural Minnesota. Perhaps it also shows the isolation and sociopathy of Showalter and more so Grimsrud.

Here is a shot with great use of pattern, balance and contrast which occurs after we find out wade intends to not give a real estate investment to Jerry but instead buy the property himself and give Jerry only a finder's fee. The camera is in a bird’s eye view, which is a shot often used to show death. Here, not a person but rather Jerry’s plan has died. The shot is monochromatic as everything is either white or black, which is of course only possible because of the snow. It’s an interesting composition in that the lamp posts and trees are spread in a pleasant pattern about the frame with the white of the snow creating discrete negative space.

The shot right after when Marge shoots Grimsrud shows great depth of frame. We see trees on the right in the foreground, Marge and Grimsrud mid ground, and the rest of the forest in the background. The top and bottom of the trees on the right also form distinct leading lines to Grimsrud. In fact, the trees form an arrow pointing towards him. These distinct leading lines would not exist had there been no snow. The white of the snow on the ground and in the sky help this be a successful wide shot as they quickly bring attention to that which is important.

Fargo was nominated for an oscar for best cinematography and won the oscar for best picture. Perhaps the reason for this is that the setting dramatically aided in the film’s cinematography. A snowy winter in a flat countryside created beautiful color and composition which not only made the film look better but also made it easier to understand.