An imaginative lo-fi adventure from the dawn of gaming
In 1987 Maryland, 36-year-old Conor Marsh lives a solitary life with his dog, Sandy, earning his living as an ASCII artist. His only regular human contact is a neighbor who leaves groceries outside his door. When Conor comes across a mysterious video game, he is intrigued by its state-of-the-art premise of scanning real people into its plot. But after Sandy disappears and the boundary between game and reality begins to blur, Conor is pulled into a surrealist fantasy quest to bring her home.
Deliciously whimsical and nostalgic, OBEX takes advantage of its pre-internet vantage point by using obsolete technology to reflect on our current online habits. Birney moves easily between fairy tale-esque adventure and horror, buoyed by an analog-leaning electronic score that deepens the film’s lo-fi textures and offbeat fun.
“The strangely fascinating use of ancient technology – dot-matrix printers, floppy disks, a mid-80s computer that was then known as the Macintosh – is a pleasure, though far from the only one in OBEX.”
Kyle Smith Kyle Smith 08/01/2026
Sundance Film Festival 2025, 2025, us
Albert BIRNEY
Albert Birney is an American filmmaker, writer, and animator known for his inventive and surrealist approach to storytelling. His breakout feature Sylvio (2017), co-directed with Kentucker Audley, was named one of the best films of the year by The New Yorker. Other films and projects, including Strawberry Hill (2021) and the retro video game Tux and Fanny have become cult favorites. Birney has also worked extensively with musicians, directing music videos for artists including Future Islands and Dan Deacon. OBEX is his sixth feature.
