Not lost, found

Rating: Null/10 (7 March 2004)

If you review this movie as entertainment, as you usually should, it certainly merits a mixed response. It is unlikely, slow to make a statement, not sure if it is serious, and somewhat unsatisfing. However we have so few films that attack one of the serious issues of our lives, that of connection, real connection to other people, that let us not treat this film as entertainment, but as a reminder that connection is not something that is easy, or even comfortable, but something that is awesome.
We reach points, stages, conflicts, in our lives where we need to come to an understanding. If we are able to connect to another person at these moments, magic happens. It does not last forever, but neither does life.
Note that "La Dolce Vita" plays in the background, no accident of course, since Fellini also made films that were difficult to review as entertainment. Does Steiner's message to us in "La Dolce Vita" have to repeated every generation?
If your life is all together, running on all 8 cylinders, smooth, on-track, and you sleep like a baby, then maybe you do not need this film for anything other than entertainment. Then tell your friends, your lover, your God, that "Lost in Translation" is a neat view of Japan and a light weight flick.
Otherwise, you may appreciate the message film underneath the "flick".
By the way, do not see "La Dolce Vita" alone. Find a special person, somewhere, anywhere, that feels your need, your question, then see the film together. Yes you are allowed to hold hands.