Lost in Translation

Starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson

Directed…

Lost in Translation

Starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson

Directed by Sofia Coppola

“Lost in Translation” is the best film to be released this year.

And with it, writer/director Sofia Coppola officially becomes at least as cool as her father, Francis Ford Coppola. And to think, we were all so bitter when Dad cast her in “The Godfather Part III.”

“Lost” is a lovely, spectacular film about two people alone together in an overpopulated country. With its simplicity, the way Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) fit together without complication or reservation, it’s like a melancholy “Punch-Drunk Love.”

The setting is Tokyo, Japan. Bob is an aging American movie star there to shoot a whiskey commercial for a quick $2 million. Charlotte is along for the ride with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi), who is busy photographing a band.

Bob and Charlotte don’t speak the language and can’t sleep. In addition, Bob’s heyday as an actor has long passed, and he’s struggling to get along with his wife of 25 years – his trip is a “break” from her. Charlotte doesn’t know what to do with the philosophy degree she just earned from Yale, and she is thinking twice about her marriage. They’re “lost” in Tokyo and in life. But they’re also free – in their isolation from everything around them except each other – to behave with abandon and have an utterly pure friendship.

Johansson is not only one of the most capable actresses of her generation, but also one of the smartest – add this film to a track record that includes wonderful oddities like “Ghost World” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” As Charlotte, she’s natural and heartbreaking. And that opening shot – my God, it’s too much.

And Murray – he’s still brilliant and still making films that will be highlights of his career. No actor stays brilliant this long. His Bob is hilarious and tragic. Back in the ’80s, could anyone have seen this coming? The dramatic ability that the actor has recently shown – alongside his still-sharp comedy – in films like this and “Rushmore,” represents a breakout that’s more surprising than the one Tom Hanks made in the mid ’90s.

Even Giovanni Ribisi and Anna Faris, in tiny roles, create memorable characters.

Beyond the note-perfect performances, the look and sound of the film match the beauty of Coppola’s script. Lance Acord’s cinematography is low-key but stunning, and the music by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is perfectly moody.

Yes, Sofia Coppola is the real thing. She manages to top her spellbinding and similarly melancholy debut, “The Virgin Suicides,” with a film that’s small but enormously touching and, in its own way, earth-shattering.

If you have any love for cinema, do not miss “Lost in Translation.”

“Lost in Translation” opens in theaters Friday, September 26.