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:

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.

In a few days, San Francisco will be flooded with film geeks, critics, filmmakers, hobos (they’re always there), and film lovers of all kinds for the 56th annual San Francisco International Film Festival. San Francisco hosts a huge number of film festivals throughout the year, and SFIFF is the biggest and brightest the city has to offer. I’ll be on hand throughout the festival to provide you with the usual good stuff—recaps, reviews, and interviews.

In this festival introduction, I’ll be highlighting a few of the films I’m looking forward to checking out at the festival. From veterans like Richard Linklater (Bernie, Dazed & Confused) and Joss Whedon (Serenity, Avengers) and their latest works, to some exciting, innovative films from fresh talents like indie-horror maverick Adam Wingard, there’s a lot to look forward to from some of the industry’s best.

Before Midnight

18 years after Before Sunrise and 9 years after Before Sunset, ‘90s independent film godfather Richard Linklater invites us again to eat, drink, walk, and talk with Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), one of the most unforgettable couples in modern film. As we check in on the couple for the third time, we find them in Greece, middle-aged, with children, and at odds with each other due to their divergent plans for the future of their family. With their once unstoppable passion buckling under the pressures of their long-term commitment to one another, they begin to question how long their commitment will last.

I was about 11 when I saw Before Sunrise, and returning to this series twice now, with more experienced eyes each time, has been an incomparable cinematic experience that I’ll always treasure. It’s fascinating to see the actors age along with the story, and it’s even more fascinating to watch as their skills—along with Mr. Linklater’s—mature over time.

Much Ado About Nothing

In a break from the CGI spectacle of his gargantuan superhero endeavors, Joss Whedon sheds the spandex in his retelling of Shakespeare’s brilliant comedy. Though the scale and setting of Much Ado About Nothing is much more contained than his recent work, Joss still has his favorite toys to play with here—witty dialog and a talented ensemble cast of Whedon familiars. Filmed as an escape during the production of The Avengers, Much Ado is a passion project for Whedon that looks to be a perfect fit for his directorial skill set. He should be able to handle Shakespeare’s comedy well, especially with the gifted brigade of actors at his disposal.

You’re Next

Few things scare me more than murderous home invaders. Director Adam Wingard has created a godforsaken concoction, a film about murderous home invaders with—wait for it—crossbows and creepy-ass animal masks! The victims of the bizarre band of psychos are the Davisons, a family on vacation in their secluded country home. They’re played by some familiar faces on the independent scene—Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Ti West—and one of them just might be badass enough to give the mask-wearing freaks a taste of their own medicine.

Twenty Feet From Stardom

I’m a sucker for music documentaries, and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom looks to shine the spotlight on a group of musicians seldom given the attention they deserve—background singers. Following industry legends like Tata Vega (Elton John, Michael Jackson), Darlene Love (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra), and Merry Clayton (Joe Cocker, Rolling Stones), Twenty Feet gives insight into the lives of these unheralded masters of their craft. Fifty years ago, background singers provided the melodic backbone for countless pop hits, but their role in the music industry taking a back seat in recent years. There are a myriad of interesting stories to unearth here, and Neville, a veteran in the music-doc scene, is sure to present them stunningly.

Museum Hours

A security guard is patrolling the Viennese museum where he works when he meets a mysterious woman who he shares life-changing conversation with as they stroll through the museum and the city surrounding it. I love a good walk-and-talk film, and along with Before Midnight I’m sure Museum Hours will satiate my appetite for long, interpersonal, existential dialog. Every time I try to strike up a conversation like this in real life, all I get are bored, vacant stares, so I try to live vicariously through films like this to make me feel better about myself. Also, the premise is simply irresistible and I’ve always wanted to visit Vienna. This is the power of films, folks.