OBEX

****

Directed by Albert Birney.

Starring Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Frank Mosley, Dorothy.

Science-Fiction, US, 90 Minutes, Certificate 15.

Released on Blu-ray in the UK on 9th March by Lightbulb Film Distribution

Reviewed as part of Glasgow Film Festival 2026

If you were the owner of a computer in the late 1980’s, it really did feel like you were on the verge of a high-tech future. Loading games via audio tape, or floppy disc if you were lucky, with that high-pitched screeching tone, waiting for what seemed like forever only to be greeted by 8-bit graphics and a theme tune that sounded like it was composed at the bottom of the sea. Programmers crouched in front of miniscule monitors typing out line after line after line of code to provide entertainment for the first wave of gamers. Small print ads to send off for discs or equipment to attach to your bulky set of kit, to be drawn into fantastical worlds of adventure. We knew we were on the verge of something revolutionary then but to look back on it all now, you can see how lo-fi, how chintzy it all was. You could say it was part of the charm, and it definitely is part of the charm now, an innocence, crossed with the thrill of potential for this low-tech age.

This atmosphere is expertly conjured up within seconds in OBEX, an arty, black and white odyssey through a fantasy landscape brought about by its sinister titular  game. Ordered through a small press ad found within a computing magazine by Conor, a shut-in who pays his way by tapping out mail order portraits on his trusty Mac computer. With only his dog Sandy for company, Conor seems settled and comfortable within his small world, singing to himself and Sandy with the help of his makeshift karaoke discs before he drifts off to sleep. His only point of contact with the outside world is Mary, a woman who drops off his groceries on a weekly basis to whom he won’t even open the door. Thrilled by the promise of a cutting edge, hi-tech game, Conor soon finds more than he bargained for, when Sandy goes missing, seemingly sucked into OBEX in a TRON style. Conor ventures into this fantastical land plagued by monsters, but also finds himself reckoning with the ghosts of his past.

Filmed in monochrome, OBEX is a low budget wonder of hand crafted ingenuity. Director Albert Birney, who also plays Conor as well as co-writing the script with Pete Ohs, captures the atmosphere and spirit of 80’s amateur computing expertly here. Although melancholic throughout, there is a vein of humour that runs throughout; Conor’s first encounter with the game nicely captures that feeling of disappointment you would often encounter when playing something you waited months for, only to realise within seconds the level of crapness you paid good money for. The narrative becomes more dreamlike as the film goes along. The first half of the film on its own works perfectly as a quirky character study. By the time Conor leaves on his quest, we are quickly plunged into a fantastical land, which while still low budget in nature and appearance, manages to work its spell on the viewer, revealing itself to be something truly nightmarish towards the film's climax, with its surprise cameo from one of horror cinemas most recognisable figures being the icing on the cake.

The protagonist's obsession with television and monitor screens, as well as his lonely nature, evokes similarities with Jane Schoenbrun’s I SAW THE TV GLOW, a film in which Birney also appeared in while also thanking them in the end credits. Although completely different in style, the themes and vibes match up enough to make the films of a piece together. Also evoked is Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s DEAD MAIL with which it shares aural similarities as well as those of a thematic nature. In mixing up its familiar elements with its own emotional and often surreal throughline, OBEX more than proves itself to be its own particular work. After a number of inventive shorts, OBEX hopefully marks the next phase in Birney’s career where he gets to share his own particular vision with a steadily growing audience attuned to his distinctive wavelength.

Iain MacLeod