Helvetica is one of those rare films in which the exploration of a specific topic leads to expanding horizons of perception.

The tweaky world of typography is not perhaps as much at the heart of how we live as these designers would have us believe, but it's enjoyable to watch them rhapsodise sans serifs and spacing.

Even viewers who've never given a serif a second thought are in for an exclamation point of joy from such a well-designed doc.

Director Gary Hustwit opens our eyes to the visual culture of typography in much the same way as Andy Warhol once freed us from the tyranny of advertising, by inviting reflection upon that which is intended as a subliminal encounter.