Lost in a Multitude of Possible Experiences

I'd like to talk a little bit about "Lost in Translation." I really liked it when I first saw it, and now recently--watching it a few more times on DVD--I've discovered that I more than like it: I place it as one of my favorite movies. But, I don't think it is because of the screen-play per se, but because of the multitude of possible experiences that the viewer is able to grasp from its Being.

I can watch and interpret different underlying meanings from what was presented to me on the screen. The first and probably most obvious interpretation is that of the man who contemplates an affair, far away from home, lonely and detached from his society. I could also look at Bob as not even interested in Charlotte as more than a good friend. But, then I could also look at it a different way still (the way I like to understand it). Perhaps he is simply a real human, Being through life, understanding the possible choices and simply going with the flow: he knows he is lonely and he's willing to go out partying because what else is he going to do by himself in a foreign land?

I think it's safe to say that Bob realizes his feelings are changing when he decides to stay for the "Carson" show (he realizes that he's interested in this girl as more than just a friend--this isn't to say that "more than a friend" should necessarily be romantic, but his relationship with her has grown past the point of simply feeling happy: he wants to be together). He kept their relationship Platonic. Did he realize his true(romantic) feelings for his wife and family and that that is more important than the lusts of the moment? He says in the middle how "the older you get, and the more you understand yourself, the less you let things bother you." So, is he simply understanding that he is a lonely male, next to an attractive and interest(ed) (ing) female and that his feelings of attraction are normal; that he doesn't need to get further romantically involved with this girl because he already has a romantic life, and that there are other/different kinds of possible relationships between two human beings?

Charlotte, obviously feeling alone and separated from her husband while he is away on photo-shoots, seems to be attracted to Bob for his strange, self-calm being. He's just living life, stopping to smell the roses, and is understanding of the overwhelming solipsistic struggle of conscious existence. He was there when she needed him, you know?

This film exemplifies an encounter of two people who live (be) with Each other, for real (as in not fake: they let all their guards down and were true/real/honest with each other). They shared moments of artistic experience like the honesty that comes from the artist because he puts his true feelings into the expression of his painting, communicating to the viewer his real human essence. For lack of a better way of putting it, their minds came together in a shared love of Being. I love this idea because it seems that's just how simple and wonderful actual life is. I just need to love my Being. If I want to be happier, then I should love being happy. If I think my morning commute is dull and boring, then I should make it more exciting by skipping along the sidewalk, smiling, and greeting strangers on the street. Why not? If I want to love another, to end my loneliness, to Be together, I can. These are the sorts of feelings that the examples in the movie bring to my attention.

I like the movie mostly because, although there is a clear message/theme that speaks through, there is also enough left unsaid (a healthy subtext) which can be experienced in more imaginative subtleties. I enjoyed filling-in the thoughts of the characters as they gave silly looks and grimaces to the Japanese and to each other. There was room to let the movie grow into my life and my Being. That is, by filling-in the character's thoughts with my own voice and memories and experiences, I was able to feel more a part of the their emotional struggles. The movie, in this sense, shared with me the same way the two characters were sharing with each other. It was personal. It was real. It was beautiful.