Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Leaving a character's language unsubtitled so you follow tone, gesture and context. You share the position of someone outside that language, and the language keeps its full weight.
Examples
Steven Spielberg · 1997
Cinqué and the American lawyers can't talk directly, so the case waits on finding someone who speaks Mende. Once an interpreter arrives, you hear Cinqué's own account for the first time. The film makes you feel how long the captives were spoken about but not heard.
Where to see it: Cinqué tells his story: With an interpreter, Cinqué describes what happened to him and the others on the slave ship.
Wes Anderson · 2018
The human characters speak Japanese with no subtitles, while the dogs' barks are translated into English. When people need to be understood, an interpreter or a translation machine steps in. You are placed with the dogs, reading tone and gesture. Some critics call the choice a fantasy of Japan, and others read it as a comment on translation.
Where to see it: The mayor's decree: Mayor Kobayashi exiles all dogs to Trash Island, and the film relies on an interpreter and a translation device to carry what people say.
Steven Spielberg · 2021
The Spanish dialogue in this film has no subtitles. Spielberg has said he did not want English to hold power over Spanish. You read faces and tone, and you get a small taste of being outside the conversation.
Where to see it: The gym dance: The Sharks talk among themselves in Spanish and no subtitles appear, while the 2 gangs size each other up.
Questions