Lost in translation

Mark Hughes36 said:just imagine instead of Ribissi (pretty sure I spelled that wrong 😁) some actor you actually find hot
I’d probably go with Brad Pitt—even if girls over here aren't really into him lately 😉
then it'd be way easier to picture her falling for his ego 😁

or do you think smart, educated people just can't make impulsive marriage calls? 😁

It’d be too easy to just say she fell for his looks. She fell for something else—something he hasn't even realized yet. Honestly, if I'm reading this right, she moved all the way to Japan just to support his career since she doesn't have a job there. Like, where was her head at? What's her deal? If she were just some girl from overseas meeting someone through an app, I might get it. But where is he? Is he gone for a few days, or is he just out there working while she's stuck there alone? Who are her Japanese friends? How did she even meet them? I don't know, man... none of it adds up for me.

dustyscout53 said:I mean, she didn't just happen to fall for him. If I'm reading this right, she actually moved to Japan for his career since she doesn't have anything going on there.

Nah, they should've come back. It was just one bad week. Maybe two. But the truth is he was just acting "busy and indifferent" instead of actually being "in love and decent." Total loser. I'm done spamming this thread.

dustyscout53 said:It would be way too simple to just say she fell for his looks. That’s not it. She fell for something else—something he hasn't even figured out yet. Honestly, if I’m reading the subtext right, it seems like she’s just playing along with the whole "falling for him" bit, especially since she moved all the way to Japan just to support his career while she sits around doing absolutely nothing. I mean, where was her head at? What is her actual life like there? If she were some random girl from Eastern Europe he met through an ad, maybe the math would add up. But where is he? Is he away for a few days, or is he always there in the background of these shots? What is he actually doing? Who are these Japanese friends of hers—how did they even meet? I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me.

dustyscout53, they didn't actually move to Japan permanently—otherwise, they wouldn't be staying in a hotel. 😁
From what I can gather, they were just in Japan for his work for a few weeks. As for how she managed to meet those Japanese locals... who knows. They might have made these trips more than once.
Either way, you've got a point; a lot of this remains pretty vague.

P.S. Do you guys also suspect her husband cheated on her with that "Cameron" guy before the movie even started—and potentially during that weekend she stayed at the hotel?

blueranger12 said:I read her bad connection with Ribissi as nothing more than a metaphor for a rough patch in a marriage that shouldn't have been that bad. But there it is—he was too obsessed with work, she felt isolated, and BAM! enters Murray 😁 Sure, I caught myself trying to figure out what she saw in him, but I eventually just accepted that he’s a better man for her in some other time and place. What can you do? You just turn a blind eye.

Agreed.
From the movie, it's hard to tell if it's just a rough patch or a genuine life mistake.
Though the fact that she isn't enjoying the company of someone she clicks with so effortlessly isn't exactly trivial.

dustyscout53 said:It would be too easy to say she just fell for physical attraction. She fell for something else entirely, something he never quite uncovers. In my view, she didn't just fall for him; she moved all the way to Japan for his career, where she essentially does nothing. Where was her head at? What does she even do there? If she were just meeting someone through an app, I might get it. But where is he? Is he gone for a few days, or is he just working constantly? Who are these Japanese friends of hers? How did they even meet? I don't know. It doesn't add up for me.

Life is simple enough; people just overcomplicate it.😁

I think Japan is just a temporary stop for his job.
She hasn't really "sacrificed" anything to follow him on this business trip—from what I gathered, she just finished college and is still finding herself. She isn't quite sure what she wants to do with her life yet.

Joseph Scott5 said:P.S. Do you guys also think her husband cheated on her with that "Cameron" guy before they even met in the movie, and probably during that weekend she stayed at the hotel too?

I have to admit, I hadn't really considered that. 😕

christy said:P.S. you guys think her husband cheated on her with that "cameron" lady before the movie even started—maybe even during that weekend she stayed at the hotel?

I don't think so. That jazz groupie is just a symbol, really. I mean, Bill Murray cheated on his wife with that young girl walking around in her underwear, not some random jazz chick. The girl was just a way for him to blow off steam while he was drunk.
The whole dynamic between the young girl and her husband feels pretty half-baked to me. It needs more substance—like, maybe a quick bit of dialogue or something? All we really see is him blaming her for Yale during that chat with the woman from Dark Horse. Sure, she messed up a little, but that's not enough to spark any deep thoughts about the intellectual gaps or marriage issues they're facing.
Then again, if what Bill Murray is going through is supposed to be a midlife crisis, it’s just too thin. Kind of uninspired, honestly.
Sofia had a lot she wanted to say in this one, but it just didn't land.

dustyscout53 said:I don't think so. That jazz groupie is just a symbol. Bill Murray cheated on his wife with that young girl wandering around in her underwear, not with some jazz groupie. He just took it out on the groupie while he was drunk.
The dynamic between the young girl and her husband is poorly executed. It needs more—maybe even a brief bit of dialogue. All you really see is him blaming Yale because of that conversation they had with the woman from Dark Horse. Sure, she did something wrong, but that’s too thin to spark any real thought about the intellectual gaps or the deeper marital issues at play.
Then again, if what Bill Murray is going through is meant to be a midlife crisis, it's poorly described. It's uninspired.
Sofia wanted to say a lot in her film, but she missed the mark.

She said everything she wanted to; she just used atmosphere instead of description.

Mark Hughes36 said:She basically said everything she needed to—not through dialogue, sure, but just through the whole vibe

So, clearly, she left us hanging. She just couldn't handle a topic that heavy, I guess. That’s why the movie feels way too ambitious even though it tries to act simple. You get those rare directors who can sum up an entire lifetime in just two shots, but they're hard to find. Sofia isn't one of them, if you ask me. Who actually does that? Man, I can't think of a single name right now. 😁

dustyscout53 said:Clearly, she didn't feel like giving us the full story. She just isn't cut out for this kind of heavy lifting. The movie tries too hard to be deep while pretending to be simple. You get those rare directors who can sum up an entire lifetime in just two shots, but they're hard to find. Sofia isn't one of them, if you ask me. Who actually does that? Honestly, I can't even think of any right now. 😁

The issue is that everyone expects the movie to spoon-feed them every single detail, but they don't actually have the patience to watch it...

Jose Miller17 said:The real issue is everyone expects the movie to spoon-feed them every single detail—but then they just don't have the patience to actually sit through it...

I was looking for at least a hint of drama—didn't need gunfights or some messed up scene with pregnant women being killed, nothing like that. I would've been totally fine if the climax was just that kiss (if that even happened), as long as there was an actual story underneath it. But watching it... people just can't be bothered to watch...
Look, I didn't pay good money to go to the theater just to be forced to WATCH a movie, honestly—screw directors who have zero respect for the audience.

Whoa! So what did you actually SEE? What did you even GET OUT of that movie?! 🙂 😠 :2up:

Jose Miller17 said:The real issue is that everyone expects the movie to just lay everything out for them on a silver platter, but they don't actually have the patience to sit there and really watch it...

"Movies are about so much more than just their basic plots."

small film wisdom Vol. 2 by Richard Hernandez13

😁😁😁

Haha 😁 I love those one-sentence condescending remarks 😁 And adding italics for emphasis too, Jose Miller17? You can't do that...

I honestly think the split in opinion on this movie isn't about whether people actually know how to watch cinema or not. It’s just down to their character. I've seen plenty of users in this thread whose opinions I really respect, even though they hated the film. To me, the movie is great. How else am I supposed to explain it? I'm not going to sit here and claim someone just doesn't know how to WATCH a movie.

Richard Hernandez13 said:"Movies are about way more than just what they're about."

small film wisdom Vol 2 by Richard Hernandez13

😁😁😁

Honestly, some movies are better when you just close your eyes

Some Zen wisdom—specifically for Americans who act all deep about Buddhism—found in a little gift edition from a bookstore, tucked inside a book called 10 Tips for a Long and Happy Marriage😁 😁

dustyscout53 said:I was expecting at least a hint of drama. I wasn't looking for gunfights or some twisted plot involving murdered pregnant women—nothing like that. Honestly, I would’ve been happy if the peak of the movie was just that kiss (maybe it was), provided there was an actual story underneath it. Watching this... it's just not worth the effort.
Look, I didn't pay for a ticket just to be forced to WATCH a movie. Screw directors who have zero respect for their audience.
Whoa! What exactly did you SEE? What on earth did you actually GET out of that movie?! 🙂 😠 :2up:

To be honest, I'm not really in the mood for a debate about this flick, so I haven't shared my thoughts yet. Maybe just one sentence... look, dustyscout53, all I'll say is that in movies (and media in general), everything doesn't need to be explained through dialogue. There are other ways to express things, and Sofia is great at using them... overanalyzing the script to figure out why she married him or what he's doing there doesn't matter to the film as a whole. It's a simple script: it shows two lonely people crossing paths and finding some 'chemistry.' You sound like my grandma watching her niece and asking, "Well, what does she see in him?" Maybe a glance was enough for her. Or maybe it was the atmosphere of that dark lobby. Maybe he just liked the pattern on the wallpaper. Maybe she doesn't even know how she ended up in the marriage, so how are you supposed to know? You won't find an answer, just like she won't... (you might want to check Sofia's last movie as a better example of this style)... sure, maybe it's not enough for you, and you'd probably want a flashback to her traumatic childhood to make sense of it all...
That's about it...
..obviously, I get that the movie doesn't "work" for you for the reasons you mentioned, because at the end of the day, I agree—it's all about the feeling you have when you walk out of the theater.
...(Now I'm patting you on the head, and you'll take that as patronizing because you're acting like the new guy on the forum sending me middle finger emojis, while I'm trying to be civil by telling you to shove them where the sun don't shine so we can all move on)😁

I liked the movie, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe I could just write something like... pirate from the Caribbean. 😛
@Jose Miller17, you could probably give a better answer than me. 😛
But you're too lazy!

dustyscout53 said:I actually liked the movie, though I can't quite put my finger on why. It's like if I tried to write a review for something like a Johnny Depp movie about a pirate in the Caribbean. 😛

Well, I think the reason is pretty obvious: you just loved watching Johnny Depp rocking those sunglasses. 😛

So what do you guys even say when your girl asks why you're into her? You bunch of unarticulated losers...

Honestly, you're all just Lost in translation... 😁 😁

Hey, dustyscout53, this isn't some damn rooster.👋

Man, talk about first-world problems—this guy’s got a wife and kid who adore him, he pulls in two million bucks for a few days of commercial work, but he’s "suffering" because he can't wrap his head around the Japanese man, or because he's clashing with some jazz singer, or because girls are hitting on him and he's famous. And then you've got people whose wives actually ran off with the kids after ten years of a supposedly perfect marriage, just sitting there watching him whine and thinking, "Yeah, must be tough."
But what about the veterans from the Homeland War who can't even find a job?! Or all the innocent victims from the Four-row? You really think their lives are just sunshine and rainbows?! How do you think Leon Glembaj felt?! Don't even get me started on suffering—he was out grabbing pizza with his girlfriend's parents. If I'd written it myself, Sophia would've walked away with more Oscars than Peter Jackson. She'd have used those long shots with a microphone peeking in, showing how we all sat there in silence at that table. Parents, knowing their daughter is totally out of control, wondering what's gonna happen to their lives once she finally leaves... wondering if they spent all that time neglecting their marriage just to raise her, only for her to run off with some jerk they have to pay for her pizza. To see their daughter turn into their biggest failure when she was supposed to be their greatest achievement.
You guys don't know the first thing about real drama. You show up to a theater, the play is running late, and you just clap along thinking it's all part of the act. Then you go on about how "original" the writer is. Well, here's a little news for you snobs: the car is naked!

man, you're such a clown...

🤣