In director Jem Cohen’s Museum Hours, a late-middle-aged Viennese museum patrolman and a Canadian tourist share a ruminative brief encounter, like an older, wiser, more meditative version of Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation or Richard Linklater’s Before series. The title refers to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, where the two meet and where most of the film is set. (Man, “Kunsthistorisches” would have been a great movie title, wouldn’t it?) As the fast friends share illuminating existential conversations and peer the gorgeous works that populate the museum’s gilded walls, the film drifts into non-fictional, documentary style scenes, and assumes a unique shape that’s as fascinating as the paintings Cohen adores with his camera.

The guard, Johann (Bobby Sommer), bears his satisfaction with his profession on his quietly contented face, describing the gig as “not bad at all.” When Anne (Margaret O’Hara)–a disoriented Canadian tourist who’s visiting a comatose distant relative–runs into Johann at the Museum, he goes above and beyond his patrolman duties and, in a purely platonic gesture, shows her around the city. Sommer is charismatic and charming in the most understated way possible, while O’Hara pales in comparison, coming across as an afterthought. Still, their companionship is sweet. Their existential, art-flavored chats feel a lot like the intellectual exchanges shared by Juliette Binoche and William Shimell in Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, but with far less bite. If Certified Copy is an older, more experimental version of the Before series, Museum Hours is an even older, even more experimental rendition of the touristic walk-and-talk sub-genre.

The extra layer of experimentation is represented by documentary style sections in which a museum guide lectures about the finer details of Brueghel paintings and other works (immaculately lit and captured by Cohen, who makes the inanimate artworks look spectacularly alive). Cohen perhaps drifts in and out of these non-fictional segments a bit too listlessly, but the unpredictability of these transitions keeps you on your toes, and their effect on the experience is ultimately pleasurable and absorbing.

Everything in the film–from the intimate interiors, to the postcard-pretty exteriors, to the brilliantly photographed paintings–is a feast for the eyes, and the objects and environments deserve all the effort Cohen and company put into making the film look so masterfully rich and exquisite.

The film’s key message–that earnest, close observation of art can often magnify its pleasures–is a powerful one, and gratifyingly meta at the end of the day. Cohen examines the skill of looking–looking at art, looking at film, looking at the world around you. He observes the art, and we observe his art, watching intently as he films intently. So often we as moviegoers enter a theater with a sense of entitlement, sitting in our seats with crossed arms, stubbornly waiting for the filmmaker to grab us by the cheeks and lead us through the story. Sometimes, as is mentioned in the film, an artist beseeches us to meet him or her halfway, to participate in the experience and invest a bit of our energy. Museum Hours is this kind of film where you feel a wonderful sort of partnership with the filmmaker, if you’re willing to engage.

Museum Hours trailer:

Tuesday night saw an elite group of cinema saints receive awards from the minds and hands behind the 56th annual SFIFF, the San Francisco Film Society. The red carpet was graced by the man who gave us Dolby Digital, the screenwriter of Forrest Gump, a gravelly-voiced British badass, a geek-tastic Star Wars reunion, and much more. Way Too Indie was there to capture all the red carpet magic, just for you.

Here’s a list of the recipients of this year’s awards

Peter J Owens Award for Acting—Harrison Ford

One of the most charismatic and iconic leading men of the past 40 years of cinema, Harrison Ford is a treasure. His rugged charm, commitment to his craft, and iconic performances captured the imaginations of millions. Spielberg, Lucas and Scott created wondrous worlds for us to explore, and Ford was our guide. It’s one thing to believe an actor, and another completely to believe in an actor. Ford’s work is immortal, and his characters—Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard—will be a part of film history forever.

Founder’s Directing Award—Phillip Kaufman

Aside from helping pen the sweeping adventures of the aforementioned Indiana Jones, Phillip Kaufman has had an extraordinarily colorful directorial career. The styles and genres of his catalog are wonderfully varied, from the San-Francisco-set indie horror of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to the space shuttle drama of The Right Stuff, to his Marquis de Sade biopic, Quills. His constant drive to challenge and reinvent himself makes him one of the most adventurous auteurs of our time.

Kanbar Screenwriting Award—Eric Roth

Penner of great films like Forrest Gump, The Insider, and Munich, screenwriting powerhouse Eric Roth has proved that Hollywood blockbusters don’t have to be schlocky cash-grabs—his screenplays are imaginative, artistic, and deeply human, always moving and always polished. Despite their complexity and sophistication, his stories have connected with people around the globe for decades. Munich is one of Steven Spielberg’s most underrated films, and most of its strength comes from Roth’s brilliant writing. He’s a screenwriter beginners should study and a master of his craft.

Persistence of Vision Award—Jem Cohen

A cinematic experimentalist and perceptive silent watcher, Jem Cohen is a director more people should know, especially if you have an affinity for the arthouse. His quiet, observant films—typically a hybrid of documentary and fiction—are fascinating meditations on urban landscapes ravaged by modernity. We enjoyed his latest film, Museum Hours, which played at SFIFF, and recommend that you seek out his work. Cohen is one of the most unique voices in cinema today.

George Gund III Award—Ray Dolby

Yes—that Dolby. This is the guy. All of that beautiful sound spilling out of your speakers? Ray Dolby had a huge hand in making those booms, crashes, and whirrs sound so crisp and clear. An innovator in stereo sound, Dolby’s contributions are invaluable, and we all owe him a roaring round of applause (in stereo, of course.) Today, Dolby Digital is on the cutting edge of sound technology, just as the Dolby Sound System was back in 1965. If you want to talk impact, Dolby and his Dolby Laboratories have been immeasurably integral to the evolution of the movie-going experience.

Mel Novikoff Award—Peter von Bagh

Finnish director Peter von Bagh is one of the most knowledgeable film historians in the world. He’s written around 40 books on film, directed over 50 films, produced a long-running film radio series, and seen more movies than you and me combined. He’s a cinephile’s cinephile, and his love for world cinema has influenced film lovers far beyond his native Finland.

You’re Next

Throughout the first week of SFIFF, as I walked, drove, and BARTed my way around the city, there was one thing I heard more than anything else from fellow festival-goers—“You need to see You’re Next!” No other film at the festival garnered such buzz, which compelled me to check it out, though I was positive the film couldn’t live up to the hype. Just like always (ask my wife), I was wrong. Adam Wingard’s indie-horror kill-fest blew me away with its watch-through-your-fingers scares and creative kills.

The plot of You’re Next isn’t groundbreaking—a rich, sweater-wearing family is attacked in their cushy vacation home by psycho killers with crossbows wearing animal masks that look like they were bought at a Party America Halloween sale. It’s creepy stuff, but again—nothing groundbreaking. What makes this movie so effective and feel so fresh is that the bloody massacre is supported by sound, savvy filmmaking by Wingard.

Unfortunately, most horror films exchange artistry for mindless gore, but You’re Next makes no such compromise. Some of the kills (there’s a load of ‘em) have been seen before in older, more popular films, but here they feel extra violent and hit with a bone-rattling jolt. The film’s focus is on extreme, visceral violence, not gore. The sharp editing and flawless sound design are the keys to achieving such raw levels of intensity.

The cast, a tight-knit troupe of indie directors (Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Ti West), give excellent, ego-less performances (Seimetz is hilarious), and it was surely a huge asset for Wingard to have such talent on hand. Over the past few months, I’ve been touched and moved by some of the cast members’ artsy, weighty films, so it was a lot of fun to watch them run wild in such a crazy, brutal movie. It’s fantastic news that the film is finally being released (it’s been in studio-limbo since 2011), and I can’t wait for you all to see it. Time to sack up, folks.

Museum Hours

An American woman (Mary Margaret O’Hara) is called to Austria to visit an ailing friend, and while visiting the Vienna’s world famous Kunsthistorisches Museum, meets Johann (Bobby Sommer), a genial patrolman. The two quickly become friends and engage in a days-long, existential discussion that leads to endless self-discovery. The museum and the snow-blanketed city feel unstuck from the world, a sanctuary for the two to explore and mold each other through the art they ponder and the life experiences they exchange. As they make their deep connection, mortality looms in the form of Anne’s dying friend.

The brilliant works of art in Museum Hours are beautifully captured (jaw-dropping), and director Jem Cohen and DP Peter Rohsler echo the immense artistry of the art in their gorgeous cinematography. Every damn shot is breathtaking and immaculately composed. Cohen intermittently cuts in thoughtfully selected close-ups of paintings, which jogs our memory and emotions. It’s completely engaging and makes this movie not only thoughtful, but sensual. Sommer and O’Hara move effortlessly throughout the film, endearing us to them with every passing moment. Their relationship feels real and isn’t easily defined. There’s something uniquely charming about the way Sommer speaks and holds himself. His voice carries empathy and wisdom, and his monologues feel as profound as the museums’ works, though he carries no pretension. Of all the films at SFIFF, this is the prettiest I’ve seen.

Stay Tuned to Way Too Indie for our full reviews of You’re Next and Museum Hours.