Conventional wisdom seems to suggest that people who don’t like reading subtitles in movies are lazy, uncultured people who would prefer to look at some white girl’s boobs than to better understand other parts of the world. And while this may be a fair characterization for many, there’s a legitimate gripe to be had with subtitled movies: it draws our eyes away from the actual movie.
It tends to be the best option from a set of suboptimal choices. There is the option of dubbed-over dialogue, which most viewers tend to agree is distracting and puts the vocal performance of characters on the shoulders of different actors. There is the option of learning the language of the movie you want to watch, which is more time-consuming than most people are likely to afford. And of course the other option would be to not watch foreign films altogether. Reading subtitles is preferable to all of these.
Having to scan words on a screen, though, is without question not the most immersive or engaging way to interact with a story and characters. It’s an obstacle that stands between us and the people we’re watching, as well as time spent looking away from the actual images of the film, which exist in the periphery of the text. That’s not the best way to take in a visual medium. So while it’s perhaps slightly small-minded to dismiss foreign films altogether purely for an aversion to subtitles, there is an aesthetic justification for this being the worst option, aside from all the others.
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Published: Dec 12, 2013 01:42 pm