Filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, you may recall, visited us a few years ago with his first two features, 2002's "Funny Ha Ha" and 2005's "Mutual Appreciation." Both films, shot on 16mm, gave off a total DIY vibe, but in the best way, with seemingly organic observations from realistically tongue-tied 20somethings trying to navigate love, art, and life. Bujalski is back with his graceful third film, "Beeswax," which shares expressionistic qualities with its older siblings but marks a deceptively subtle evolution for Bujalski.

Set in Austin, Texas, "Beeswax" drops in on the unremarkable existences of twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren (played by first-timers Tilly and Maggie Hatcher), both of whom are at transitional moments in their lives. The responsible Jeannie is facing troubles with her vintage clothing shop, while her comparatively slacker sister is trying to decide if her next career move should be Nairobi. Plotwise, that's pretty much it, and though there's more at stake here than for the people in his previous films, that Bujalski is able to keep his audience transfixed throughout "Beeswax" is a minor miracle. Not every detail is important (nothing is made of the fact that Jeannie is in a wheelchair) and not every word is coherent. As much as we like big-budget escapism, we crave truth, and the reason we dig Bujalski's work is we could know his characters. We could even be his characters. That kind of empathy is rare in film, and more powerful than most filmmakers understand.