Sweet bittersweetness

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2010)

Bittersweet. This is the word I would use to summarize "Lost in translation". The cultural differences scenes are sometimes funny, sometimes just painful (the TV show scene and, even if it's not really about cultural differences, the shooting scene, highly improbable for me). Otherwise, it's beautiful, melancholic, accompanied by a as much beautiful and melancholic soundtrack. But never really happy, hence the bittersweet qualification. They won't see each other again, I am sure of that. They're way too much locked in their marriage by the guilt. Bill Murray's character particularly, choosing to have a one-night-stand rather than sleeping with a woman he knows he could fall for. Therefore not taking any risk to endanger his marriage. Her, I am sure she would go further if he was not resisting. Somewhat logical: I guess giving up a 2-years-old marriage is easier than giving up a 25-years-old one. Plus because his work takes him away often, he doesn't really have to face his failing marriage. She has, because so far she hasn't a life of her own: no work, no idea of what she could do, she gave up her hometown for her husband. And she's younger, she certainly thinks she can still save her life, while he certainly thinks it's too late anyway. But this chosen impossibility of their story is what makes the film beautiful and melancholic. "Love" scenes are platonic and bring you back straight to adolescence. But hey guys, let's face it! We are not teenagers anymore and such a platonic love would be unrealistic at our age and wouldn't fit our needs and desires. Finally one comment on some reviews talking about a beautiful friendship. I truly believe in the possibility of man/woman friendship, but I also believe this can occur only if there is no seduction between the two (either one way or two ways). As long as you don't get over it, this is not friendship, this is still possible love. It's the case here: there's too much seduction going on to talk about friendship. But this possible love will never occur, neither will become a friendship: seeing each other again would be too risky, especially for him. Plus (and this is the real cynical touch here), they would never have been interested in each other if they had met in their usual cultural environment; failing marriage or not, it's the cultural difference which makes their loneliness so obvious. Once back in the USA, I don't think it would stand as intense between them.