Difficulty with Japanese

Throughout the film, both Bob and Charlotte struggle to understand Japanese. Bob's employers have trouble communicating with him during shoots while Charlotte struggles to get around alone with a limited understanding of the language. This trouble is symbolic of the difficulties of human communication and of making connections with other people.

As the two struggle with Japanese, Bob and Charlotte become closer and begin dealing with their other struggles as well. Bob and Charlotte discover that their struggle with the language is somewhat representative of the struggles they have to deal with in their own lives while at home in the States.

As Bob and Charlotte learn Japanese over the course of their stay, they also discover more about each other. Both are in difficult marriages and are having trouble with issues in their lives. The more they learn about each other, the more they realize...