review: lost in translation

After 2 tries, I found a version of Lost in Translation that isn't in Spanish. I've heard a lot of good things about the film but was reluctant to watch it. I'm not a big fan of romances and even less a fan of romantic comedies. It's a good thing that this film is neither, that way I can still dislike the 2 genres.

If you were to ask me what happens in the film, it would be hard to say. Sure, the characters go places and do things, but those things are ancilliary. Most of the story is conveyed not so much in the dialogue, but where the characters are and what they're doing at the time. Something simple as sitting on a windowsill staring out at the sprall of downtown Tokyo says so much more than any words.

The film is excellent. The acting from the two primaries is engaging and honest. The relationship between them builds naturally as well. At first, they're both in their own worlds, doing their own thing. By chance, they happen to be the same hotel and end up in the bar with insomnia. As the days go by, and they notice each other more frequently, quick salutations become real conversations become entire evenings spent together. The attraction they have for each other is honest and impossible. You have the sense that these two would never have been clicked had they not been in a foreign country, but because of their unfamiliarity with the language and the culture, they find familiarity within each other.

That's what's best about the film. It's not so much a romance, but about people. The romance that forms is a byproduct of that story. At no point do they force it into a romance. There is one scene where they are both in the bar, staring into each other's eyes. A lesser film would have had the two kiss, but instead, they just continue staring and eventually get up and walk away. No words are exchanged, just the pure emotion conveyed through their eyes, face, and body.

At multiple points, the film could have desintigrated into something pablum but it stays its course and maintains its integrity. When the ending comes, there is that sense of loss as if leaving a good long friend. I actually found myself tearing to my surprise. And you realize, you want these two to be together, but they can't. You want the love or whatever it is that they have for each other to be real and to be happy, but it can't. And that impossibility of that love or that romance or whatever you want to call it, is what makes the film so real and the characters so touching. You want them to be together and you don't want the film to end.

Actually, only in retrospect do I truly appreciate the film. It was such a long experience that you felt as if a week really went by, not in a bad way either. You felt like you've been on this long journey with two people, and it's finally come to an end. As all good journeys, it isn't until reflection that you can truly appreciate the impact it had on you as a person. Only now, looking back, can I fully appreciate how intelligent enjoyable the film is.

This film isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a sappy pablum film, try Love Actually. If you're looking for fantastic writing and acting, for a film that is subtle in its imagery and its story telling, this film is for you.

4/5.