Lost in translation: communication barriers and cultural understanding

¶ … Lost in Translation, written and directed by Sophia Coppola. Specifically, it will contain a review of the film, answering some specific questions about the film and how it relates to life and culture today.

From the very opening scene of the film, it is quite clear that both the main characters in this film are facing major cultural differences, and they are "lost" in another world, with no one to connect to. As Bob drives in the old-fashioned limousine to his hotel, the garish neon and Japanese language cues on the signs clearly indicate he is far from home. Charlotte's perch on the ledge of the window in the hotel room indicates the same thing, that she is alienated from everything around her, and is feeling culturally isolated. No words need to be spoken to show that these two people are lost, and so, would seek each other out if they knew they could. The scene with Bob in the elevator, surrounded by a sea of short people, and the shower that is never tall enough are great icons, illustrating how very different the culture is, and how much these two characters simply do not fit in.

Bob's wife is somewhat like his conscience, calling him back to reality in a very unreal and uneasy situation. She reminds him of everything he does wrong, even while the Japanese are treating him like a hero and a very big celebrity. At home, he is Bob the actor. In Japan, he is Bob the big celebrity, and his wife, who cannot see the treatment he receives, is his lifeline to reality, while the time in Japan is surrealistic and certainly cannot continue. Bob's wife may not be pleasant, but she represents "real" life, and all the responsibilities and problems that go with it.

The bar is quite an important meeting place for the characters for a number of reasons. First, the bar seems like any bar back home. Bob can get what he wants to drink, and listen to American music, even if it is more like Muzak. The bar represents normalcy and a culture where they are secure and comfortable, and it is in direct contrast to the rest of the culture surrounding them. In the bar, they can convince themselves everything is "normal," when of course it is not. Charlotte's marriage is empty, and Bob's life is empty, and nothing, even another culture, can change that. However, in the bar, everything is equal, and the rest of the world, the culture, and their lives back home do not matter.

Charlotte's visit to the Shinto shrine is a turning point for her, because it indicates that she really is in another world, another culture, and that the reality of her life cannot be ignored. She can enjoy time with Bob, but that is not real. Her marriage is real, the problems with it are real, the Shrine is real, and so, it brings reality back to her, and shows that she really is in an altered time and place that cannot last. In addition, the young couple are just beginning their life together, and everything is in front of them. Charlotte does not feel the same newlywed giddiness any more, and so, the Shrine moves and disturbs her.

The lounge singer is more than just a fling for Bob. Not only does her presence allow the couple to feel at home, as if they are in any bar in America, rather than half way around the world, she is representative of Bob's career back home. He is an actor, but not a big, big, actor like many others. He is actually more famous in Japan than he is in his own country, because he has gotten older, and the parts pass him by. The lounge singer would never make it in America, or if she and her band did, it would be in small, insignificant clubs. She represents what Bob's career could turn into - second rate and forgotten, and so, she is somewhat like another form of reality and conscience for Bob. He knows it would be very easy to become just what she is.

There are many things that keep Charlotte and Bill from connecting. Their ages are quite different, and that is a barrier, although they do work through that somewhat. They are not really communicators, and so, when it comes right down to it, their language, their communication, and their understanding of each other is all undeveloped at best. They are two lost people trying to connect it a distinctly difficult world, and that is really all they have in common. They do not connect, really, because they do not understand themselves, and so, they cannot understand each other, the real world, or even the make believe world they inhabit as they explore Tokyo together.

At first, I thought he whispered that they would see each other again, and they would end up together, but clearly that was not so. Perhaps he told her that he loved her, but that would not make both of them smile, it probably would make both of them cry. Bob has a wry sense of humor throughout the film, so perhaps he cracked a joke about their time together. It would not have been a deep thought, because neither of them really communicated deeply during the film. On the other hand, he simply could have told her that he had the time of his life, and would never forget her. I like to think that is what he said, but the whole idea is that we will never know, and we make up our own ending.