Murray film brings modern Japan alive

Understanding the mindset of contemporary Japan is tricky. There are so many diverse variables composing the multicultural palette of Japanese society in this portion of the 21st Century. A film appeared a few years ago that managed to paint a very articulate picture of the urban scene in the land that is Nippon. This 'cool' film was 'Lost in Translation.' The work written and directed by the elegant Sofia Coppola had as stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The communicative social interplay between the characters was interesting. The film had a comic tone and yet there was the refined subtle tone, also. This invigorating mode made the story ring true and the work did not bog down in pithy, meaningless melodrama that at times can become a constituent part of some film extravaganzas. The meandering bits through large city (Tokyo) life were entertaining. For those of us familiar with life in Japan, this film presented a lot of fun. And the good performances by the beautiful Scarlett Johansson and the sophisticated Bill Murray were a gigantic delight.