Lost in Translation is the second film in Sofia Coppola’s “Young Girls” trilogy. It opens with a close-up of a woman’s bottom. Inspired by the paintings of John Kacere, this image contains several layers of potential interpretation (Stern 2017). Initially, the shot could be read as objectifying: this woman has been reduced to a single body part. Likewise, the panties are sheer and reveal the contours of this woman’s posterior. Their transparency is somewhat sexually suggestive. However, much here is also unexpected. The panties are traditional full-back briefs. They are worn for comfort and are not considered an alluring wardrobe choice by conventional film standards. Moreover, the panties are a pale pinkish-peach hue. Their color more closely represents innocence rather than sexual provocation. Of equal importance to her undergarments, this woman’s body does not conform to the ideals of film. She has a fuller-figure with a minor amount of cellulite visible on her hips and thighs. She is not the quintessential waif to which many viewers have grown accustom. Finally, this woman is wearing a grey-blue sweater with a white layering piece beneath. The overall appearance is conservative; far removed from sexually charged. Considered as a whole, this is not a “bra and panties” shot. This is a “woman in repose” shot. This, too, is atypical and refreshing for film. In total, these first few seconds prove to be a blueprint for the complexities of the entire film, one that rapidly vacillates between a troubling stereotype and feminist achievement. This paper seeks to determine whether Lost in Translation can be considered a feminist work or must be relegated to a beautiful but misguided masterpiece.
About the presenterErica Joan Dymond
Film scholar