Obex Trailer: Albert Birney’s Low-Fi Sci-Fi Film Builds a Creative Universe

      Following his creative work on Strawberry Mansion, Albert Birney returned to the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year with OBEX, a DIY-style adventure film that is sure to appeal to fans of David Lynch and RPG video games. Oscilloscope has acquired it for release on January 9, and the first trailer is now available.

      The synopsis reads: “In the pre-internet era of 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy lead a reclusive life, immersed in the slow-rendering visuals of early Macintosh computers and televisions glowing with late-night horror movie marathons. However, when Conor starts playing OBEX, a new and enigmatic state-of-the-art computer game, he ends up trapped in a low-tech, yet high-stakes analog nightmare as the boundary between reality and the game fades.”

      In my Sundance review, I mentioned, “While films like David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and Steven Lisberger’s TRON have explored the excitement and anxieties of humanity’s connection with screens since the early '80s, there has been a resurgence of interest as the number of screens in our lives has increased. Last year at Sundance, Jane Schoebruen examined identity-forming connections with media and the subsequent bittersweet nostalgia in I Saw the TV Glow. This year, OBEX sees Albert Birney continuing his inventive and low-fi storytelling from Strawberry Mansion, but with a more focused direction. Despite the protagonist spending every moment in front of a screen, the film is not a critical indictment but rather a heartfelt and even touching exploration of how entertainment can offer solace to the loneliest individuals.”

      Watch the trailer below.