Metal My Movie - Lost in Translation

Photo Credit: IMDb

For the month of March, I have decided to explore some of the Metal themes in films. Every week, I will be taking a look at another movie and relating it to Metal. 
 
I have decided to highlight one of my favourite romantic comedies, Lost in Translation,  and explore it from a Metal perspective for this first segment. The genre of Metal has always tried to subvert the obvious notions that are established within the genre, by making loud noises or exploring unconventional themes the nature of the songs being different from contemporary themes. Sofia Coppola subverts the genre of the romantic comedy by adding in a contemporary score, and soundtrack, to the film and having a significant age difference between the  lead characters.  
 
Taking a look at the score and soundtrack of the film is  a great introduction to one of the Metal aspects to Lost In Translation. Sure it’s not a metal soundtrack per say, however the score was composed by Kevin Shields, vocalist and guitarist from the band My Bloody Valentine. It has a hard rock aesthetic with the loud electric guitar and drums is similar to the aesthetics of the genre of Metal. To close the film, Coppola treats the audience with The Jesus and Mary Chain hard hitting classic “Just Like Honey”, as Bob (Bill Murray) whispers something to Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). It’s still a mystery what the secret was because of the fact that the drums the hard electric guitar with the vocals of Jim Ried provide the dialogue of the whisper instead. 
 
With the loud noises of the film established, let's take a look at how it subverts the commonality of the romantic comedy. First off, we can say that the age factor could be a subversion of the genre due to the fact that Bob is much older than Charlotte, who is a twenty something graduate who tags along with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi) on his work trip to Japan. Bob is having what you would describe to be a midlife crisis throughout the film, as he tries to assimilate into the younger culture by wearing an army type shirt and jeans. This is coupled with the fact that he has to adjust to the barrier of being a foreigner in Japan, just as the genre of Metal can seem foreign to those inexperienced with the genre. Bob, at one point in the film, has a one-night stand with the lounge singer (Catherine Lambert) at the hotel he’s staying in, which Charlotte makes reference to as someone who is his age, that he can relate to rather than her. However, there is something that is more than a friendship between Bob and Charlotte that Coppola captures, instead of the status quo romantic comedy ideal of both leads being the same age. 
 
Maybe it’s the raw power of the hard sounding score and soundtrack, or the un-idealistic subversion of the genre, with Bob and Charlotte being more than friends, makes this one of my favourite romantic comedies. You don’t get a hard rock score or soundtrack in this  genre, unless you have that classic “insert the classic rock song a la Tom (you had me at hello) Cruise”. You don’t get to see the emotional climax that Bob, going through a midlife crisis, could have feelings for a younger Charlotte. The climax of the film ending poetically sweet, as Bob whispers something to Charlotte as the hard rock alternative anthem provides the dialogue. Maybe something along the lines of in another lifetime I will find you, gives the romantic in me hope.
 
Next week the winning international film Force Majeure gets a metal takeover in Metal My Movie. Got any suggestions for a Metal My Movie segment then e-mail atmovies@cjlo.com.