A couple weeks ago, I re-watched
The Terminal and noticed that - in a way - Viktor Navorski's encounter with Mr. Milodragovich illustrates Navorski's chief motivation for the whole film.
Mr. Thurman's explaining the situation to Dixon summarizes the scene well: "When the 9:12 from Toronto landed, they found four prescriptions without an MPL [medicinal purchase license]. They tried to take the pills away from him, and he went nuts. There he is. We think they're for his father." The interpreter is an hour away, and Thurman has the idea to use Navorski as a translator.
At first Navorski explains that Milodragovich says that the medicine is for his father, but when it seems that the medicines are going to be taken away from Milodragovich because he doesn't have the correct documentation, Viktor stops everyone and says, "I make mistake." The medicine is actually for a goat. Dixon is suspicious of this and accuses Viktor of cheating the system. He says Viktor has been reading the forms, specifically "the one that says if it's an animal, he doesn't need the medicinal purchase license." In the end, Milodragovich himself says "Medicine for goat" and is allowed to take the pills with him.
When I watched the film previously, I thought this scene simply illustrates Navorski's compassion for others. He sees that Milodragovich is in a difficult situation, so he helps him out of it. When I watched the film again recently, however, I realized that the scene has a deeper meaning than that. Navorski identifies with Milodragovich's mission to procure medicine for his ailing father because Navorski made a promise to his own father that he would collect the last signature from the group of jazz musicians in the photograph. While Navorski's compassion certainly influences his actions here, his paternal dedication - a quality that he sees in Milodragovich - is also evident.
