Lost in Translation lost on America

I just saw Lost in Translation over the weekend and loved it. I thought it was a beautiful film, both in its visuals and its story. Two lost souls that somehow manage to connect in a foreign world. It resonated. I felt it. (There's a tangential thought in there that maybe I'll get to later.) Anyway, I really enjoyed it and I can't really get it out of my head.

So July hasn't seen it yet and we were talking about taking in a movie, but I thought I'd pop on over to Amazon and see how the price compares to the 'Co (not too bad it would seem), and was shocked when I started reading down the Customer reviews.

"Boring." "Pointless." "No redeeming qualities." "Complete farse[sic]."

Did these people watch the same movie? Well, yes, even though some of the details were occasionally off. ("scenery of Hong Kong?" uh, and that would be whiskey, not vodka) But those are only minor points. I realize that part of why I enjoyed the movie is that I could feel with the characters -- I thought that's what it did so well. What the actors did; what the film did. And I guess there were a lot of people out there that just didn't get it. Which leads me to two possible conclusions neither of which is particularly heartening (ignoring the one reviewer that takes the elitist "measure of intelligence" point of view):

1. The movie resonates because I've experienced the same feelings of loneliness and being lost that the characters are going through, but apparently that isn't that common. So once again, I've found another litmus test that highlights how outside the mainstream I am. (although I guess that argument doesn't hold much water since the film is getting significant positive critical review. But then again, critics themselves have been criticized for not truly representing mainstream America.)
2. Much of America is emotionally dead inside. They may have experienced similar feelings at one time or another, but it was much easier to just ignore it, mask it or take it out on somebody else than it was to just feel it or understand it. And that ability to connect with how other people think and feel is gone.

I guess the fact that some people didn't like this movie shouldn't bother me so much, except that it serves as a reminder that there are many people in this country that just don't see the world in the same way I do. And even that shouldn't be a big deal, except the part where they see it in a way that says that other people aren't as important as they are.