Lost in Translation vs. Lost Identities

Identity. Who are we and what do we do with our lives? Finding our true identity is a hard task to accomplish which makes stereotypes the easiest to categorize ourselves. The film Lost in Translation is a movie all about lost identities and the confusion that comes with trying to clarify who we are.

In general, the movie depicts that we are all lost and confused. We spend our whole lives thinking we know who we are and suddenly we are hit with an identity crisis and our whole world turns upside down. Throughout the movie, the characters suffer a lack of communication and never really listen to the other person. This is portrayed between Bill Murray’s character and his wife. A lot of blame occurred in the conversation as she said his kids were getting used to the idea of him not being around and he kept pretending that nothing was wrong and that he was okay. The movie also depicts that we are all looking for a purpose in life. Scarlett Johannson and Bill Murray spend a lot of time sleepless and reminiscing always wondering about the point in their lives they are stuck in and can’t escape from. However, they finally discover each other and cling together for support. This relates to everyone, as we are searching and searching for something we probably will never find and cling on to things familiar.

This clip gives a great representation of how we’re always thinking and critiquing our own lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQMNzB7laRU

This movie also suggests stereotypical behaviors and identities comparatively between east and west cultures, primarily American and Japanese cultures. For American identity, we first noticed that Bill Murray, while filming the liquor commercial, was in a suit and tie, was drinking the best quality liquor, and was in a very luxurious setting. This type of American identity is portrayed a lot in film and music videos, which is sometimes believed across the globe, despite having our own internal national issues. American men were suggested to always want and need sexual satisfaction, as an “entertainer” was sent to Bill Murray’s room to supply him with sexual favors, however he was very set off by this. The entertainer was screaming, “Please, No, Let me go,” which suggests that men prefer to take control and advantage over women. Americans were also suggested to be superficial, materialistic, and stupid, as the role played by Anna Faris as the dumb blonde celebrity. During the entire movie, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson were both very unappreciative of the Japanese culture, felt nothing while watching a religious ceremony, and laughed and mocked Japanese language.

Japanese identity was depicted on a somewhat negative side. The movie played on the stereotype that Japanese are very short and very compliant and subservient, as the scenes in the lobby and the elevators suggest. The language was shown to be very long, extensive and confusing, as a lot of words were used to explain short phrases. Religion was shown to be very ancient and unimportant, as Johannson explained she felt nothing by it. This shows supremacy of the typical Christian/Catholic religion over all else. The women were found to be very exotic and the men were found to be very feminine, as there were Japanese strippers and an eccentric talk show host. Japanese diet was also suggested to be very unnatural and weird. This was shown during the sushi scene where Murray explained to Johannson that they love to “eat black toe here.”

This movie was a great representation of how we are all searching to find ourselves and how our lives turn out to be something we never imagined, which leaves us seeking and wanting more.

Comparative Movie Studies - Blog Assignment 2

Like many remakes, Hollywood and other first cinema productions often partake simply because of the money. If a film does well in its home country, it can be assumed that it will be remade. In this case, the film is Infernal Affairs. The 2002 “Hong Kong thriller” received 23 awards and made quite a bit of money. In the US it grossed $89,594, Finland $31,998, and in Hong Kong HKD 43,720,663 which is equivalent to about 6 million US dollars. Also shown in other European countries, Internal Affairs was a big success. Only a few years later in 2006, Internal Affairs was remade into The Departed. Wining 4 Oscars along and 49 other awards, with its star filled cast and twisted storyline, The Departed thrived at the box office. In the United States alone, grossing $132,373,442, The Departed had already made more than half of what Internal Affairs grossed around the world. Other large sums were accumulated from the UK where it made £12,576,260, AUD 9,738,382 from Australia, and MXN 34,298,531 from Mexico. Clearly in this instance as well as many other remake situations, the Hollywood version soared in comparison to the original.

The Departed (2006) is a remake of Hong Kong’s cinematic miracle, Infernal Affairs (2002). Following the same story line, each movie follows the lives of two individuals planted as “moles” in a rival organization. In the American film, Matt Damon plays the role of Colin Sullivan who, at a young age, was introduced into the violent world of mobsters and crime. Jack Nicholson fathers him and shows him the ropes. Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, becomes a mole for the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) by becoming a mafia member for the same Irish mob that Sullivan is from. Throughout the movie, these two moles discover each other but never really discovers the other’s true identity. With trails that lead them on a wild goose chase, each becomes connected to the other by, of course, a woman. An affair is developed on both sides of the story with the same woman. Each character eventually dies in the end. Costigan is the first to die while meeting with Sullivan after a year’s length of separation. Sullivan dies in his own home by Staff Sergeant Dignam, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is the man who originally asked Costigan to become the mole. Ironically, a rat can be seen on the window sill, which many believe represents Sullivan.

Infernal Affairs is considered to be a Hong Kong miracle, as stated before. This movie came in a time where Hong Kong cinema was at a low, which led to an increased revival of hope for the industry. The movie opens with a Triad boss who sends a group of men to become moles in the police academy. Specifically, there is an emphasis on one young man, Lau Kin-Ming. This differs from the American-made movie, because the mob leader is not a father figure for the main character and was not raised and trained by the leader personally. The movie begins with the two main characters meeting, unaware of who the other person is. This is very different from the remake, which trails the character’s lives separately until midway through the movie where they then discover a mole from the rival agency is at work. One thing that is similar between both films is that the main characters each develop identity crises, as their double identities soon become too much for them to handle. Yan doubts his abilities as a cop and Ming develops a sense of right versus wrong and soon wants to erase his criminal background and continue his life as a righteous cop. However, both are finally given the chance to be the good guys toward the end of the film, however Yan leaves the force after he discovers that Ming was the mole. The two men meet again, but a second mole from the Triad kills Yan on a rooftop. As the killer and Ming leave, Ming shoots the mole and continues on his life as a cop, where he eventually attends the funeral of fallen Yan. Ming ends up living in the end, which is different from the American-made film. One other difference is that a love triangle was not formed between the two main characters and a third woman. I’m not sure if this type of behavior is frowned upon in Chinese culture, but in America, love triangles seem to be a common theme. The idea of two men falling for one promiscuous woman portrays gender roles and the fact that each men gets what they want, but the woman ultimately has the power to decide who she’s with.

Although there are some differences in the movie plots, the overall story lines are very similar as two men’s lives become intertwined through a world of violence and gang-bangers. Although Hong Kong didn’t make as much money as the American film, it was still a miracle film that revitalized a failing cinematic industry in Hong Kong.