Lost (and found) in Translation

We went to see this movie last night and it was SO good. Lost in Translation for those of you too drunk to get the title reference. Here's how it made me feel...

When I travel, which is not as often as I would like, there's this feeling that comes over me that's hard to explain but I'm going to try... As I'm heading towards my destination, I'm still mostly thinking about my "home life". The obligations that I have, the people that I know, the worries and concerns of my daily life. Also thinking about all the good things about my home life and how it's kinda hard to leave it behind, even if only for a little while -- even though I'm really looking forward to going to my vacation life. I think about my "vacation life" too and what that's going to be like. But only in theory because I really don't have any idea what that slice of life is going to be like. And then I arrive at my destination and I'm immediately inundated with the sites and sounds of my new location. The buildings are different and the people are different and the sounds seem louder and the brightness is brighter. It's a lot to get acclimated to. And I get so mired in these sights and sounds and experiences that eventually my "home life" seems a lot further away then it really is. Seems like a part of someone else's past. I think about the people there and try to imagine them where I am, and generally it's kind of hard to do. But, as I meet new friends and old and I'm telling them about my home life -- it seems incongruous that there's any other life than the here and now. Gradually, I get adjusted to vacation life... The process seems to happen in accordance with the amount of time I'm on vacation. Things that were wildly unfamiliar become familiar. Basic things, like how to get to the grocery store for example. Home things appearing in vacation land. Just as this process starts to solidify, it's time to go home. And as I head towards home, the process of the arrival happens in reverse. I think about all the things I did and saw and heard and talked about and learned about while on vacation. I'm thinking about my home life too, but only in theory. I somehow feel as though my home life should become different to stay in step with the change in me I've experienced from vacation. Of course, it doesn't. All the same things that were going on at home before I left are still going on. The minor dramas have settled themselves or snowballed into actual problems. The people I left behind ask me about my vacation but only with a mild interest. I was gone, they cared, but they don't really care about what experiences I had. Because, they can't see and feel them when I talk about them. They didn't see my friend basking in the wide open space of the Badlands. They can't taste the Hurricane while hearing the clacking of the multiple strands of beads around their neck. They don't recognize my genius at suggesting we take a CAB to dinner so we can drink even more. They can't hear the awkward skinny guy easily strumming amazing songs on his guitar, all the while apologizing that he's not more talented.

So, you see -- they don't have my visions as they flip through my vacation pictures so of course they don't show more than nominal interest. I forgive them this because when they take their vacations, the same thing will happen.

And this is the feeling that surrounds Lost in Translation. The feeling that your life is irrevocably altered because of this snapshot of a moment. And the reality that it's really not. Bill Murray did an AMAZING job portraying the quiet desperation of a man who desperately needs a breath of fresh air in his life and when he finds it, realizes that you can't hold onto fresh air. You just have to breathe it in and appreciate it for as long as you can, and when it's time to go back to the reality of your smoggy air -- you deal with it. Because that's what you do.

I don't want to give anything more than that away. It's an amazing movie. Probably the best I've seen in a long time and I hope that someone gives him a nod for SOME kind of award. If you see it, write me and tell me what you think.

I'll be daydreaming of my next vacation! ;-)

-HP