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I was doing a search for something on Google and by coincidence I got a hit that included this description of LiT to people who didn't like it.

It doesn't say anything new, but it sure does say it well:

I thought "Lost in Translation" was brilliant, though I appear to be in the general public minority for that one. I do regard it as interesting, however, that a considerable amount of individuals misinterpret the film as a love story. The movie's theme isn't love, but friendship, or rather, an ephemeral friendship between two strangers mutually in the midst of disconcerting periods of their lives. It illustrates the quintessential beauty of any invaluable human relationship, the concept of learning from one another in an incognizant manner, and the impact we have on each other's lives without simultaneously recognizing it. In the story, Bob and Charlotte are complete strangers, and so they communicate to each other in a manner only strangers know how. Intitially,they delve comfortably and impulsively into arbitrary conversations obliquely brushing over their own personal lives, professing sincerity but not thoroughness. As the plot progresses, so do the depth of their conversations. There's something about the film that enchanted me. It isn't a boisterous comedy or even a pervasively humorous one, but it creates a sweet, melancholic ambience not unlike moments in our own lives, and it immerses you in the plot in such a fashion, by painting a pragmatic account of an unpredictable encounter between two interesting, fictitious characters. Needless to say, I loved "Lost in Translation."

"[quote:9994dfa832="52FM"]I was doing a search for something on Google and by coincidence I got a hit that included this description of LiT to people who didn't like it.[/quote:9994dfa832]I hope your rank will be reset for not providing the link!

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/arch ... 50845.html"

This is a very straight-to-the-point description of the plot of LIT... This is not about love, but friendship and how two strangers can build such a strong friendship in a short amount of time. Also the part where it mentions how you impact other people's lives without even knowing it, is so very true. They started to realize the impact on the last day, and it was not love but appreciation and acknowledgement due to the simultaneous caring and attention given. They both needed someone at the time, to help them get through the week and they got it, that is why the story is so positive and hopeful.
* This description is beautiful. Good job 52 FM!

I guess in a way it could be called a friendship. I didn't see it that way. I think we are afraid to call it love because of the age difference and the short period of time Bob and Charlotte are together. It would be hard to call it love and mean it.

I think it is a situation where two people find each other and feel a powerful yearning, but can't really do anything about it. Each sees something in the other that they want. It's like they are looking at each other across this chasm neither can cross.

i really like the description, thats how i always described it to others, that its not a traditional romance. a rather corny way of describing love is that it is when two bodies share one soul and i think that in this movie it is kind of true in that both characters bond because of the stage in their life that they've come to and the disconnection that they feel, but at the same time thats not to say the relationship would be sustained outside of this particular environment because it is contributing to their own feelings of confusion. it is vitally important of course that they are alone and abroad in a strange environment, and i think the accusations of racial stereotyping miss the point completely, because it is there to show us the depths of confusion they see from their perspective. even those people from back home, ie. anna faris' character, seem distant and alien, which makes things worse. i particularly liked how well this was handled, this maelstrom of eccentricity about two models of stillness. it really serves to seperate them clearly from everyone else, in their own little world. of course thats not to say this type of relationship cannot happen at home either but being abroad gives a more tangible effect of being spiritually lost. tbh, if u want to say whether it is a romance or not it is probably best to start by defining love, because this relationship meets certain criterior, such as mutual feelings between two souls, but fails others in that it is somewhat unnatural and aided a little by circumstance. i personally see it as a love story because although i doubt whether the same feelings would be shared quite as potently at any other time or place between these two people, for the time that they have together, its love

Maybe it is because love is such a broad word I chose to call it friendship. I guess most people see this relationship as one containing love factors, and I don't blame those who think that way. It is just that in such a short time, with so many complicated inner problems happening can one feel LOVE for a stranger? Or perhaps is it just a feeling that is so close to love that confuses us--- I guess love is a very big word, one that sometimes makes me wonder if its true meaning is even real

But, does feeling love really have a time frame associated with it? I personally have not experienced it, but can you meet someone and in a short time know that you found a "soulmate"?

In this case, I think the movie portrayed this. And the fact that their respective circumstances prevented them from acting on it, gave it that bittersweet feeling. I guess Im not saying anything new and my apologies for babbling. I guess thats how much this movie's affected me too.. lol