Good horror filmmakers know that not showing the monster is much scarier than showing it. And while The Sensation of Sight is hardly a horror movie, there is a sense of dread permeating the entire film—and it's a direct result of writer/director Aaron Wiederspahn's careful restriction of pertinent information.

David Strathairn stars as a former teacher who has left his family in favor of selling outdated encyclopedias in an age of Wikipedia. His journey, through a small East Coast town, introduces us to Sight's ensemble cast of characters and their seemingly unrelated issues. Predictably enough, we learn that these people do, in fact, have something in common—unfortunately, you'll have to deal with two hours of small-town brooding before your patience is rewarded.

For a movie as well acted as this, it's unfortunate that the end result isn't worth the price of admission. While the small scenes are charming—at times delicate and beautiful, with well-fleshed-out characters—the overall product is appealing, but slight: the cinematic equivalent of a really, really long Sufjan Stevens song.