Setting: A seaside, dystopian Australian city (Melbourne?), assuming the short film is based on Shaun Tan's experiences. The brunt of the story takes place on "a summer a few years ago"
Characters: "The Lost Thing" and a young man (presumably based on Shaun himself)
Point of View: First person narration; from the young man's point of view
Plot: A young man, an avid bottlecap collector, tries to find a home for a strange creature, dubbed the Lost Thing
Conflict: The Lost Thing belongs almost nowhere and so the young man has to find a place for it. The fact that the young man starts not noticing other Lost Things later may also imply a conflict, unresolved
Climax: The young man finds a relative utopia and refuge for his Lost Thing
Irony: The young man himself blends into the lifeless crowd of people who do not notice Lost Things anymore
Symbols: The dull color scheme and redundancy of the world the young man lives in are symbols of conformity and emotional coldness. This poses a contrast with the bright and lurid hues of the Lost Things' refuge
Theme: Reaching out to others; looking at things in a different way; belonging; loneliness in a big city
