Everyone wants ‘more’ (just like on the signs in the movie). We live in a universe where technology and mass production are in high demand. I believe that draws parallels to our world today. Gradually, towards the end of the narrative, he lost that ability. But he was able to see the Lost Thing when no one else could. In this setting, ‘a regular person’ is someone who follows a boring routine everyday, someone who has lost the special parts of life. The main character, a man who lived with his family, was a regular person. The Lost Thing depicts a world where things that are unique do not belong.

These include the loss of creativity and humor. We believe that this short film also discusses the byproducts of widespread industrialization. This man finally showed there is another out and a place where people belong. When he took it to the dark reception room he thought that would solve his problems with finding where the lost thing belonged, and in a sense it did with the crude little man. This we believe means he is trying to force the lost thing back into places it does not belong. Throughout the story he is trying to find anyone that accepts the lost thing like he does. He is not only ignored by others, but his one true friend at the time seems to be the lost thing. He seems too, along with the lost thing, not really have a place in the world.

When the boy first finds the lost thing we think it is symbolic of him also being lost. The film resembled today’s society about how we have lost our way in seeing the simple joys in life along with the creativity of growing up. Throughout our experience watching the film we decided to look into both the literal and deeper meaning of the work. The Lost Thing shows that everything and everyone has a place in this world, although some may have to look a little harder to find it than others.

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan