World Text Essay - Lost in Translation and Cultural/Urban Space

Eun Hae Lee

Dr. Wexler

English 495 ESM

09 December 2013

Lost in Spaces

          Lost in Translation, a dramatic film by Sophia Copolla, follows an aging actor, Bob, who is dissatisfied about his current nonexistent career and situation in life. He is an American living in Japan, shooting a commercial for Japanese whiskey. Bob is closed off to the new cultural experiences Japan has to offer, becoming frustrated by the lack of communication in his professional and personal life due to cultural and language boundaries. He spends the first half of the film "lost," as per the tittle of the film; Bob is literally lost in the middle of this big Japanese city (Tokyo) and he is essentially lost in himself because he is unsure of how he should live the rest of his life and what path he should take. His tone soon changes when he meets Charlotte, a young American wife who followed her husband's work to Japan who is as equally displaced as he is. The film depicts the theories in "Cultural Space and Urban Space: The New World Disorder" which defines space as a “construction and material manifestation of social relations which reveals cultural assumptions and practices.” The film explores the cultural space in regards to Bob and Charlotte's gender roles in Japanese society in contrast with American society. The film also explores the urban space in Japan's metropolitan city of Tokyo which closely resembles New York City. Lost in Translation also depicts the city as a source of Western contamination as explored in Randy Martin's “Where Did The Future Go?”

          The theory of the cultural space categorizes the different spaces, or spheres, into roles that men and women take in society. Women are delegated to the domestic sphere, of the "private" sector, whereas men are of the "public " sector. Essentially, women are expected to stay home and tend to family needs while men work outside the home, usually in the political world. The modern world, especially in America where women received the right to vote in 1920, is always struggling with the balance and occupants of these spaces. American women work in the public sector while some men also stay in the private space. There still is no complete gender equality in America, but there is a significant advantage for women rights in America over Japan, where tradition rules. This struggle/problem can be seen with Charlotte, the young American wife with a Harvard degree, in Japan due to her husband's work, a celebrity photographer who is oblivious to his wife's growing boredom and loneliness.

          Bob and Charlotte's encounters and loneliness is set in the backdrop of Tokyo, Japan, a city that has as much character and life as the human characters that dwell in it. Ernest Burgess in “Cultural Space and Urban Space: The New World Disorder” defines Urbanism as “a way of life, social existence.” Wirth defines Urbanism as a “large number of people in close proximity without knowing each other.” Indeed, a key image from the movie is when Bob wanders the city of Tokyo, utterly alone, while random faces and figures walk past and around him. As such, a key figure and character of this character named the “city” appears to be loneliness, something both Bob and Charlotte and the many faceless inhabitants suffer from. Urbanism is also depicted as something of a Western infection or contamination as explore in Martin's “Where Did The Future Go?” in which Martin's obvious Marxist influences and ideals of the city as an American institution. The film juxtaposes traditional Japan with its Western influences. However, the film seems to show the darker side of Western influence by showing us scenes that are displaced in traditional Japanese society. For example, when Charlotte finds Bob in a strip club was somewhat shocking, especially in comparison to the scene of a traditional Japanese wedding just a few minutes before. The film explores this idea of Urbanism, but casts a negative light on it, depicting Urbanism as a lonely and seedy existence.

          Lost in Translation features a middle aged man and a young woman who are similar in their isolation and loneliness. Bob and Charlotte, the man and woman, are portrayed as being something akin to “soul mates,” where they have a connection of the heart and soul rather than a physical attraction. The film depicts their meeting as being fated, as the only real and warm thing found in the lonely artificial construct of the city. In the Urban space that creates loneliness and the cultural space that leaves them confused and lost in translation, Bob and Charlotte find a true space where they could belong in each other. However, the end of the film sends a mixed message regarding this connection, because Bob has to return to his life and family while Charlotte has her husband. The film ends with them separating to go back to the life they have found unbearable. Perhaps life is simply existing in the space that we find ourselves in, finding meaning in the brief encounters we may have.

Works Cited

Harvey et al. Cultural Space and Urban Place. California State University Northridge. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

Lost in Translation. Dir. Sofia Coppola. Perf. Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson. Focus Features, 2003. Film.

Martin, Randy. “Where Did the Future Go?” Logos 5.1, 2006. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.