Sofia Coppola defends the age difference in Lost in Translation: with Priscillia we fear the worst

Lost in translation it was not an accident: with Priscillaconfirms Sofia Coppola his interest in heterosexual couples in which the men are (much) older than the women.

Sofia Coppola I hadn’t really thought about it » age difference in Lost in Translation

In 2003, Lost in translationtold the love story between a depressed man (Bill Murray, 53 years old at the time of filming), and that of Scarlett Johansson, who only mattered 19. She played a young woman devoid of attention, abandoned by an absent husband. Alone in a hotel in Tokyo, the two characters ended up forming a platonic relationship.

34 years separated the two actors. However, in a recent interview, the director even admitted that he hadn’t even thought about the problematic dimension of Lost in translation, before his children drew his attention to this point. In the columns of Rolling Stonehe confided:

“I showed the movie to my kids a few years ago when we went to Tokyo and stayed at the Park Hyatt. It was the first time I’d seen him in a while, and they were like, “Why is she so young and he’s so much older?” » I had made the film when I was closer to Scarlett’s age and hadn’t really thought about it. But this is what they noticed most.

Part of the story was intended to show that it is possible to have romantic connections that are not sexual or physical. You can be attracted to someone where there is none of that. The idea was to show that you can have a connection with someone you can’t be with, because you’re in different stages of your life. »

Priscillia: aestheticizing child crime?

If you can listen to the topic of different stages of life, it is clear Colossal age differences or juvenile crime don’t seem to worry Sofia Coppola yet. The director continues to make films like this aestheticizing and romanticizing male influence. Priscilla could be a festival darling and one of the most anticipated films of 2024, it raises questions. The feature film describes a love story that began whenElvis Presley was 24 years old yearsWhen Priscillia was only 14 years old.

Let us remember that in 1959 what we now call “sexual majority” was set at the age of 15. Sexual intercourse with a younger child was therefore already considered a crimeeven when they were committed without violence, coercion or threat.

It’s still too early to know if Priscilla will fall into the romanticization of this age difference. To do this, you will have to watch the film, paying attention to the choice of Sofia Coppola’s representation, starting with the importance it gives to the gaze, emotions and perception of the female character. But in the meantime, the trailer failed to reassure us. It seems to announce a film with a refined aesthetic that fascinates the couple without questioning them be present Priscillia as a woman, much older than she actually was.

Answer in the room January 3, 2024.