Lost in Translation

Selected by Alec Soth

The sleeper arthouse hit of the early 2000s, Coppola’s sophomore feature, about the not-quite-romance between two Americans abroad—a washed-up, middle-aged actor (Bill Murray) and an unhappily married recent college graduate (Scarlett Johansson), both stranded at the Park Hyatt Tokyo—conjured up a mood of seductively lush ennui that resonated with young audiences in much the same way shoegaze records had for the previous generation. (Coincidentally, the soundtrack includes original work from My Bloody Valentine frontman Kevin Shields.) Sweetly sad, richly textured, and a showcase for Murray at his most morosely funny, this 21st-century Brief Encounter has been passed around like a precious secret ever since.

Part of the Fraenkel Film Festival