One of the most distinctive and unique documentarians of our time, Frederick Wiseman, 85, is famed for two things: an utter disdain of explanatory narration and an exhaustive fascination with his subjects. Since 1967 — when he produced and directed "Titicut Follies," a documentary about a Massachusetts correctional institution — he has made more than 40 films, directing his lens at ballet in 1995, boxing in 2010 and the University of California at Berkeley in 2013. He may not be not a wildly popular filmmaker but he's certainly a deeply respected one. To see any one of his works affords an experience so dense with meaning and purpose that it leaves you drained, and steeped in wonderment and gratitude. It's as if you had taken on a difficult mountain climb instead of passively watching a movie. But actually, it's impossible to be passive when watching a Wiseman film. His particular style of filmmaking demands your complete concentration and the full engagement of your faculties.

Wiseman was a lawyer and university lecturer before turning to filmmaking. He has so far made 43 films and the latest is "National Gallery," in which he took his camera and crew into the eponymous site in London and filmed just about everything in it, including a board meeting discussing the National Gallery's budget and income problems. True to Wiseman's style, there's no explanation of what's going on and no names. We look, we ponder, we learn. Clearly the filmmaker wouldn't have it any other way. Here's what Wiseman had to say about "National Gallery" in a recent interview with The Japan Times:

What was your method when shooting inside the National Gallery?