Translation Results Requested Through Conyac Made Public

Halfway through, a homeless man who looks like either Jesus Christ or Rasputin shows up at the door and is invited to have a meal and join the game, even though he is nearly catatonic and entirely mute. Who is he? Is he part of the game? His appearance is a catalyst, for sure, and things get sort of ugly, not to mention the fact that everyone seems to be too busy patting themselves on the back for including a homeless man in their reindeer games to even notice that they are talking about him while he is right there. He disappears in the morning, leaving a cryptic note behind, which has intriguing possibilities, all left unexplored. A drunken conversation erupts about the concept of the "idiot" in Russian culture and literature, the wandering naive man baffled by wealth and cynicism, most accurately presented by Dostoevsky in his novel "The Idiot'. But the idea is dropped. Too bad.

There are moments when sparks fly, and that is due entirely to the gifts of the actors. The one African-American in the bunch (Angelique Cinelu) is asked at the table what it feels like to be the only black person present. Things get tense and awkward, and then explode later in another argument. Ted seems to bond with the B&B owner Kay, who is a born-again Christian with a floozy past.