In OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen-eyed observers—scientists, artists, a hunter—to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see.

What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: what happens when you find new ways to sense and perceive the world around you? With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation to viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.