At 15, 'Lost in Translation' is a Cinematic Classic

When it opened in theaters on September 12, 2003, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation proved a revelation. “I never expected people to connect with it so much,” Coppola admits. “There’s something about being naive that allows you to jump into things in a freer way.” Salon felt Coppola’s sophomore feature marked “her as one of our most gifted filmmakers (of either gender).” Equally astonishing were the two leads, newcomer Scarlett Johansson and comedy veteran Bill Murray. Today, Johansson is a major movie star, Murray a national treasure, and Coppola one of our great American auteurs. But when these three artists came together fifteen years ago, little did they know they would create something akin to a cinematic miracle.