Update: Edited for clarity (slightly) and content @ 2:30PM
So while I sit here soaking, I might as well complete my thoughts from this morning. Where was I again?
Oh yes.
Why wait to be found?
I don’t think they were ever ‘waiting’ to be found. Sometimes it’s not that simple. You meet many people over the course of your life – at high school, university or on the job – but you never ‘click’. It’s not as clear-cut as like vs. dislike. I’ve met people on the job with whom I’ve had great conversations and friendships; we argued, laughed and discussed, but no more. It was intellectually casual.
There’s value in finding a connection that’s more.
Sometimes by accident you’ll end up knowing someone to whom you’ll extend an offer: do they want to know you better? Take the step and know more about you? It’s a gamble. They might hurt you; they might take advantage of you.
And of course, will it be reciprocal?
I think that’s a very important, often overlooked aspect to these relationships. If there isn’t mutual trust then – why? Why do this? If it’s all one way, perhaps it’s better to reluctantly conclude that the search has to continue. I’m not sure how to describe it, but there’s something more…complete…about a relationship in which there’s mutual trust. It’s more than comfort. Much more. [shrugs]
I think the title Lost in Translation lends itself to a number of interpretations. You can claim that it concerns the journey of two people and their experiences in translating a new culture. It could also refer to the journey of two individuals; individuals who lose themselves in the experience of translating, of understanding each other. I prefer the second interpretation.
Now as to the end. Bob and Charlotte found each other. They left each other. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes you have to walk away from the person who ‘found’ you. Or they walk away from you – push you away. Maybe there’s no other way. They have their own lives, their journeys to make, their committments. Since their path is set you don’t have a place. Is there anything more ‘deadening’ than the limbo of that situation? Sometimes it’s best to walk away.
It’s an interesting point to consider.
In the script, there’s supposedly a blank page at the scene where Bob whispers in Charlotte’s ear. There’s also some support for the contention that the scene is entirely ad-libbed. Either way, it’s a fitting addition to the movie – we get to fill in the missing line. It reflects us.
Maybe what Bob told Charlotte wasn’t hopeful. Something as simple as:
“I don’t belong in your life.”
[reads through]
I’m not sure if I’m expressing myself as well as I could. I’m stealing time over lunch and it’s hard to concentrate while Allister and Nino talk. Ah well. Such is life.