This January 7, it will be exactly 20 years since Lost in Translation was released on our French screens. In addition to being part of cinema history – notably winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay – Sofia Coppola’s cult film is also known for leaving behind a mystery that, two decades later, still remains intact, a phrase that is the Internet. Still trying to understand: Bob’s (Bill Murray) parting words to young Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson)…
Lost in translation, is the story of Bob Harris, a declining, middle-aged actor who is in Tokyo to shoot a commercial, and Charlotte, a young woman who follows her husband on a travel trip to Japan. Business. They both spend most of their time alone and so they meet in their hotel bar. Between them, a kind of understanding is born that leads to an unexpected friendship and something more…
For his feature film, Sofia Coppola Inspired by her childhood when she walked from hotel to hotel in the footsteps of her famous father, Francis Ford Coppola, she also used her experience in Japan to create this very special world when she was 25.
The scene that is still talked about today is the last meeting between the protagonists at the end of the film. On the way to the airport, Bob sees Charlotte on the street. Because they hadn’t actually said goodbye the day before, he interrupts his run to meet her. They hug and Bob whispers something in Charlotte’s ear who nods. These are the words that moviegoers are still trying to guess today.
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Know it, it was planned Bill Murray He improvises the final sentence at will – moreover, their last kiss was also an improvisation. Over time, speculations have increased and many believe that the actor whispered: “I have to go but I won’t let this come between us, okay?“
When this theory was proposed Scarlett Johansson Via Yahoo, while promoting Asteroid City by Wes Anderson last year, a major interested party responded with a laugh: “Oh my god, that sounds so profound. Probably much deeper than what was actually said!
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Another theory most shared by internet users would be that Bob whispers “right ball“or”Tell him the truth”, in reference to John, Giovanni Ribisi’s character in the film, Charlotte’s husband. So, according to a YouTube video that many believe to be reliable, the sentence would go something like this: “While John is waiting for his next business trip… go to this man and tell him the truth. Right?”, an option that would suit the reality of the two characters.
What does Sofia Coppola think?
On the occasion of the film’s 15th anniversary in 2018, Sofia Coppola The secret was also mentioned in an interview with Little White Lies.
Bill never intended anything he said to Scarlett. I was going to figure out what to say later and add it but we never did. It was between them, just recognizing that this week meant something to both of them and that it had an effect on returning to their lives. People always ask me what is said. I always like Bill’s answer: that it’s between lovers so I’ll leave it at that.
It seems that the puzzle will never be solved, except Bill Murray And Scarlett Johansson Reveal the secret one day. Sofia Coppola So accomplished his mission: for him, Lost in translation There is a film about “Misunderstandings between people and places“who is speaking”Disconnected objects and moments of connection” Bob and Charlotte are two disconnected souls bound by their loneliness. So what happens between them is theirs alone.
Celebrate 20 years of Lost in Translation by rediscovering the film streaming on Paramount+ and MyCanal.