Film Review – OBEX (2025)

      **OBEX, 2025.**

      **Directed by:** Albert Birney.

      **Cast:** Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Paisley Isaacs, Frank Mosley, Tyler Davis, Paul Oh, Gloria Probably, Nate Krimmel, and Nicholas Gurewitch.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Conor Marsh’s quiet existence is turned upside down when he engages with the OBEX game. His dog, Sandy, goes missing, merging the lines between reality and the game. To rescue Sandy, Conor ventures into the OBEX world, exploring its bizarre dimensions.

      In co-writer/director/star Albert Birney's beautifully monochromatic OBEX set in the 1980s, Conor Marsh (Birney), a reclusive computer expert and ASCII artist, believes that one day everyone will become captivated by technology, existing within their devices. This notion takes on an unnerving tone in 2026 (or 2025, the year the film debuts at Sundance), as the film expresses concern for Conor, who barely leaves his home and struggles to navigate the outside world (the film doesn’t clarify if he has anxiety or agoraphobia, reflecting the era's stigmas on such issues), leaning on his neighbor Mary (Callie Hernandez) for weekly grocery deliveries. Yet, the film also explores the positive aspects of screen use without belittling Conor's lifestyle.

      From a filmmaking perspective, Albert Birney (co-writing with Pete Ohs) adopts a similar technique in this low-budget yet striking monochrome narrative featuring the radical computer game OBEX, which prompts participants through newspaper ads to record themselves on tape, responding to questions and striking various poses, ideally with dogs, to send that VHS tape in. Subsequently, they receive a game copy featuring their likeness in the virtual environment.

      However, this technology is restricted to a singular screen where Conor can only maneuver his avatar around the castle doors and interact with a digitized Sandy, with pre-set poses and text prompts. It’s a disappointment for a game promoting itself as a fantasy epic where the hero must defeat a demonic character named Ixaroth, reminiscent of the Final Fantasy VII antagonist Sephiroth.

      While possibly coincidental, the filmmakers clearly display knowledge and appreciation for that classic gaming period, drawing visual parallels to titles from Final Fantasy to The Legend of Zelda and traditional point-and-click adventures, especially when Conor is drawn into the perilous world (now sporting a disheveled appearance and a big beard) and must confront his outside world fears to rescue Sandy from Ixaroth. As the lines between reality and fantasy blur further, it becomes clear that Conor is also grappling with an unresolved, tragic past, shedding light on why screens and certain television shows serve as a comforting refuge.

      That said, the first half does feel somewhat sluggish, needing a quicker pace to thrust Conor into the fantasy realm, where the filmmaking can fully showcase its imaginative creativity (the transition to a turn-based combat system during a critical battle is both nostalgically enjoyable and clever in merging the two forms for narrative reasons). Mary also appears in the fantasy world as the typical RPG innkeeper/shopkeeper, offering rest and healing potions, reminiscent of those fairies in the Zelda series. However, the film struggles to establish a meaningful dynamic or emotional investment as Conor endeavors to battle his anxieties and fears to save his dog.

      Ultimately, OBEX is primarily a whimsical adventure involving screens and a fantastical realm, contemplating more than just admiration for that style; it explores the role of screens in anyone's life and a man's personal quest to overcome his real-world limitations. Despite some pacing frustrations in the first half, nearly everything within the fantasy realm (including an amusing humanoid sidekick with a TV head portrayed by Frank Mosley, akin to a companion in a Fallout game) is delightful and captivating, driving both the game and life quest forward with humor, excitement, and unforeseen moments of horror. Above all, it promises to spark intriguing conversations about screens, technology, and their advantages and disadvantages in a constantly evolving world.

      **Flickering Myth Rating:**

      **Film:** ★ ★ ★

      **Movie:** ★ ★ ★ ★

      **Robert Kojder**