PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"Lost In Translation"

MOVING THE STORY FORWARD.

Extremely well shot by Lance Acord (Director of Photography and Camera Operator) this movie from Director Sofia Coppola is an extremely simple story. As such the focus of the story telling is very much on the characters rather than the events.

The story is about a man (BILL MURRAY) who has been in a married relationship for a long time and who meets a young woman (SCARLETT JOHANSEN) who has been married for only a short time. These characters, at opposite extremes of the marriage experience, are away from home and in an uncertain new environment. They also are both experiencing doubts about their relationships. So the expectation is that they are going to influence each other in some way. And the possibilities are that the influence might be either romantic or sexual.

It is interesting that even though the foundations of this story are built on the relationship between these two characters in fact they don't meet at the beginning of the film. The dramatic tension of the story initially hangs on our anticipation that they will in fact meet. Under these circumstances the focus is very much on 'performance' with actors needing to be absolutely believable while exploiting the simple tensions and ironies that exist with in the scenes.

This goals are successfully achieved by the two leads. SCARLETT JOHANSSON delivers an elegantly simple and very effective performance.

BILL MURRAY chooses a minimalist performance style which is not inappropriate for a character who avoids making decisions. This choice is one that carries risks, for audiences are only engaged by story that moves forward. Actors who choose very still performance styles can sometimes risk slowing the story to a standstill. It is immensely important that sub-textural intention or character "need" is clearly active under these circumstances or whole scenes can become inert. So it is interesting to watch BILL MURRAY'S choices in this film to see how he walks this delicate line.

Overall, The Rehearsal Room found this a very entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable film. There is one sequence, however, where story ceases to progress and it is impossible to know whether this is as a result of director or actor choices. In a quite long and thoroughly believable scene, where BILL and SCARLETT JOHANSSON indulge in an evening of Karaoke singing, the dramatic tension doesn't shift or grow signficantly. In the view of The Rehearsal Room this is the one spot where this delicate approach to storytelling ceased to move forward for a time.

So, in situations where dramatic tension is primarily dependent on character "need" (that is, the risk of whether this "need" will be fulfilled or denied) the choice of "need" becomes critical. A "need" that is not readable or not active will significantly undermine the drama and the story. Whether a 'need' (intention) is internally or externally focused is also critical.

Have a look at BILL MURRAY in this intelligent and entertaining film and see how you assess his choices. Overall, you will find very successful outcomes from high-risk circumstances.

It is interesting to look at the poster displayed in the cinema for "Lost In Translation" - what "need" do you identify as BILL MURRAY'S unconscious motivation and how active does it appear to you? (THE POSTER IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE http//:www.lost-in-translation.com/ - check it out)

See also "Bedazzled" & "Meeting Venus"

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