
After ‘Parasite,’ Are Subtitles Still a One-Inch Barrier for Americans? - vo2maxer
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/movies/movies-subtitles-parasite.html
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themodelplumber
Thanks for posting, this subject has been really interesting to me.

I have some friends and family members who just can't do subtitles. To the
degree that they take one look at the screen, see subtitles, and seem to
deflate or let their attention drift away, move into a different room for a
conversation, etc. So I try not to put those movies on when they're around.

But I've noticed that these individuals don't really do complex films, either.
In company, they generally prefer light conversations that flit from topic to
topic. I have wondered if this natural capability for a refreshingly vibrant,
wide-coverage attention-shifting mode (I am actually envious of it in some
ways) brings a corresponding complication to the act of watching a movie.
These people will often ask things like, "OK, so what's happening? I'm so
lost." If you throw subtitles AND a complex plot into the mix, it's just so
far out of their wheelhouse that they may straight up fall asleep, etc.

I want to emphasize though that I don't think this reflects upon their
intellect, rather that it's just a difference in how they operate.

By the way I thought the film itself was great, not sure how one of the
medical miracles in particular was even remotely possible while another one or
two seemingly lesser medical issues were terminal, (hope that's not a spoiler)
but it was just such an attractive film from the start in so many different
ways.

I do admit I would have preferred a more Ocean's 13-type departure from the
social commentary approach if possible, but I think I've also shifted into a
mindset of seeking out more gentle entertainment after overcoming depression.

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jjeaff
Some may be fine with subtitles, but the fact of the matter is that most films
are supposed to be visually immersive. You simply cannot focus on important
subtleties in a film if your eyes have to be focused on a line of text across
the bottom. The human eye actually has a very narrow range of in-focus vision.

Not to mention the idea that cinematographers take great pains to frame every
shot like a painting, telling a story visually.

Movies with subtitles is like going to a museum where they have printed the
name of the artist and the background information in big white block text on
top of the painting itself.

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pavelrub
This is true only if you really aren’t used to watching films with subtitles.

In many countries, foreign films with subtitles are the norm, and its what
most people watch all the time. Once you are used to it - it doesn’t hurt
immersions whatsoever, and reading subtitles is done almost subconsciously and
require no discernible effort.

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Isamu
I watch a LOT of subtitled video, even when there is a dub available. And even
I can find it challenging.

Sometimes the dialog is dense. And the visuals are dense at the same time. I
often feel like I am trading off one against the other.

My daughter has a visual impairment and subs are not fun for her. She still
muscles through them though ... even if it means hitting pause every few
seconds.

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erentz
I much prefer subtitles to dubbing. Which is annoying because a very large
percentage of Netflix content now is foreign language with bad dubbing instead
of subtitles. There are some shows that look interesting and I’d watch but I
just can’t get past the dubbing. It would be great if they could add some kind
of option to use the original track and subtitles.

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gshdg
These days most of them have an “audio and subtitles” icon at the bottom of
the screen when they start playing. You can switch to the original audio, and
enable subtitles in any of multiple languages.

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erentz
Now I feel like an idiot for not noticing this! Thanks :-)

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whymsicalburito
Personally I really appreciate the photography and visual details of films and
find that I feel I have to choose between reading the subtitles and noticing
those intricate details in a film.

