The Language Lesson
Directed by Eileen FinnThis a sweet, charming tale of a man who has not only trouble committing to a relationship, but he also has trouble communicating with his girlfriend in a whole other language. Sam's Japanese girlfriend, Aki, always has to translate and help Sam with even the simplest of tasks since they've been together. He can't even order a hamburger without it becoming a fiasco. He'd rather watch soccer than make an effort to learn Japanese. Naturally, Aki is fed up. She gives Sam an ultimatum: Learn Japanese or it's over. Sam tries the easy way out, and continuously gets himself into more trouble. He cheats at learning Japanese. He soon discovers though that every time he tries to speak Japanese, he gets a funny reaction from people. Our hero doesn't realize that everything he says has a sexual connotation to it. When Sam meets his future in-laws only disaster and hilarity can ensue with his unfortunate talent for messing up the simplest of phrases. Ultimately, Sam has to choose between his current lifestyle of apathy, or make an effort and commit to his girlfriend.
