Lost in Translation & Her Dramatic Connection, Explained

In 2003, Sofia Coppola made what would become a universally beloved tale of loneliness and self-identity. Lost in Translation is definitely one of the most celebrated films of the 21st century.

However, so is Spike Jonze's Her, another film about solitude that was released 10 years later. And when you look at them closely, you can really say that the movies are kind of emotional counterparts.

Although it's never been officially confirmed and probably never will be, it's been said that the two movies are actually two sides of the same story, told by different people from different perspectives at different times.

Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation tells the story of a lonely girl left alone in a foreign country by her filmmaker husband. And as Coppola admitted, she put a lot of herself into the role of Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson. And apparently that makes Giovanni Ribisi's role somehow based on Spike Jonze's real-life behavior.

Conversely, in Her, Jonze presents Theodore, a lonely writer who falls in love with an operating system named Samantha after his divorce. Their relationship ends when Samantha and the other AIs leave, suggesting a kind of emotional disappearance.

The fact that both Charlotte and Samantha are played by Scarlett Johansson blurs the line between the two films and heightens the sense of dialogue between the directors. Perhaps Jonze sees Coppola as having become unreachable (like Samantha) after their relationship ended.

“Even if it's not confirmed, they are at the very least both movies about the same divorce. I finally got my hands on both of them recently and I’m excited to gain the emotional fortitude to watch them back to back someday,” one Redditor said.

So together these movies form a poignant conversation between their creators, Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze.

What Do Fans and Critics Think of Both Movies?

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Lost in Translation has 95% from critics and 85% from viewers; Her has 95% from critics and 82% from viewers.
• On IMDb, Lost in Translation has 7.7/10; Her has 8/10.