An ordinary episode of global commuters

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2004)

Have you ever been accosted by strangers of your opposite sex when taking international public transport, let say airplane, train or boat, especially when there are only a few people of your skin colour or language? Exchanging business card, having drinks after office hour... romantic encounters, so to speak. In actuality, "Lost in translation" is ever-playing on this world stage of intensifying human mobility.
Linguistic knowledge, nationality and age are determining factors of a viewer's opinions and feeling to this movie. Catharsis cannot show me its smug smile because personally I know some Japanese and German, besides, both Asian and Western ideas are not unfamiliar to me. Regretfully, even if I were in Charlotte or Bob's shoes, I would not feel anything too annoying. I am not lost in translation, anyway. Perhaps, if the setting is changed to: Asians, Chisinau (Moldova), I may have empathy.
What I like the most about the movie is how the characters deal with their growing feeling to each other. What they do is closer to reality. I never believe that all frequent business travellers are so lustful that they cannot control their hormonal drive when they are in another country as some movies so "vividly" depict. In a way, it reminds me how people maturely deal with their out-of-wedlock relationship, namely Peter Chan's "Comrades: Almost a Love Story", Kar-wai Wong's "In the Mood for Love" and Ulu Grosbard's "Falling in love". The ending though carries the air of that of "Roman Holiday", yet I do think, despite the age disparity, Charlotte and Bob can be friends when they return home. How can an ordinary journalist see a princess whenever he wishes?
Among the 690 comments, someone says it's boring. Yes, it is, ordinary life somehow is boring. No one disagrees, right?