Schmid spent the early years of his life in a grand Alpine hotel run by his mother and grandmother. Some of his most memorable childhood experiences occurred during the off season, when the hotel was closed. "There is nothing as empty as an empty hotel," the director has said. As Schmid returns to this environment for Off Season, we begin to understand why the setting had such a strong impact on the artist. The hotel in his film is a mirror of life, dreams, expectations, disappointments, and death. And it has a kinship with another modern place of dreams—the cinema. Schmid’s thoughtful film, a little reflection on life, childhood, and movies, is a cinematic gem that should not be missed.