by MATTHEW HAYS

There's a truly beautiful moment in Lost in Translation, the second feature from Hollywood heiress Sofia Coppola. In this scene, Bill Murray, a washed-up actor staying in Tokyo to do some hard liquor ads, lies in bed beside a much younger woman (Scarlett Johansson), after the two have been flirting madly. In this exquisite moment, a foot is caressed.

That's it, that's all - and I know it sounds like a small thing in description. But that's the beauty that lies in Coppola's followup to her stunning The Virgin Suicides: in the details, the smaller moments so often overlooked by filmmakers. There's a lot to be loved in Lost in Translation, from the smart casting to the often dialogue-free communication that extends between Murray and Johansson. Like Suicides, Translation is a film full of quiet nuances. Sadly, the film is being ludicrously overhyped, and thus many may end up feeling a bit let down upon actually seeing it. I do not think this is nearly as good as The Virgin Suicides, a film I would cite as one of the very best I've seen in the past decade. But Translation is still a significant film, and, in the ocean of mediocrity that unspooled at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, it stood out all the more.

In the film, which was also scripted by Coppola, Murray is an American actor who has fallen on hard times and is making a few extra bucks by hocking booze on Japanese TV. Johansson, meanwhile, is a newlywed direly neglected by her husband (the ever-fine Giovanni Ribisi), an up-and-coming photographer. Murray and Johansson are brought together by chance, their lives intersecting in the hotel. Both are unhappy with their respective marriages, which are clearly in varying states of malaise. They find comfort in each other, do the required flirting, and gaze into each other's lives.

Johansson is very good here, but the surprise that struck me hardest is Murray, who initially offers some quirky characterizations that make his performance feel reminiscent of an old Saturday Night Live sketch. What's fantastic to see is the way the actor delves into his character and stretches himself. Though he has some very funny moments, Murray often reveals the sadness of his character, something that's touching without being overly sentimental. He captures mid-life crisis without being one of those movies that too self-consciously examines mid-life crisis.

This, of course, makes Lost in Translation very refreshing. But that's coming from a critic, and at last year's festival, the critics all rallied around Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes' ode to Douglas Sirk - a film the public appeared to disdain. Translation is an entirely different animal, of course, but I've no doubt a good chunk of the masses will rush to see the latest Bill Murray comedy expecting something much, much different than this. As intriguing as watching this movie will be observing how (and if) the public takes to it.

Lost in Translation opens Friday, Sept. 19

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