If David Lynch had been born 20 years later and fetishized 1980s home-computing tech, Obex is exactly the kind of film he might have made. Director and star Albert Birney takes audiences through a black-and-white, analogue looking glass in a film that blends “dot-matrix horror” with endearingly imaginative fantasy.
The Plot: Computer Conor and the Digital Abyss
Albert Birney stars as “Computer Conor,” a shut-in who spends his days virtuosically tapping out ASCII reproductions of photos and his nights watching a three-television-high stack of VHS tapes. His world is small, consisting of:
- Mary (Callie Hernandez): An unseen grocery-delivery girl.
- The Cicada Brood: An unsettling biological invasion emerging just outside his door.
The real trouble begins when Conor subscribes to Obex, a mail-order sword-and-sorcery video game. After a printer-glitch command (“Remove your skin”) and the arrival of the radiant demon Ixaroth, Conor’s beloved dog, Sandy, is spirited away into the machine.
A Tale of Two Halves: From Lynch to Maddin
The film’s structure shifts gears halfway through, evolving from a claustrophobic character study into a retro-gaming adventure:
| Phase | Aesthetic Influence | Description |
| First Half | Eraserhead | Tightly wound surrealism, askew shot choices, and atonal sound design by Animal Collective’s Josh Dibb. |
| Second Half | The Legend of Zelda | A live-action RPG homage. Conor dons a hero’s cap, Mary becomes a power-up vendor, and the style leans into Guy Maddin-esque silent-movie picaresque. |
The Verdict: 8-Bit Junkyard or Nostalgic Masterpiece?
While Obex is lovingly conceived and visually inventive, it stays largely at the “retro altar.” Unlike Lynch, Birney avoids true, molten ambiguity, instead resolving Conor’s quest along more conventional lines—framing it as a cautionary tale about virtual escape and childhood trauma.
However, the DIY gusto and sheer inventiveness make this a must-watch for “old heads” and Gen-Z nostalgians alike.
Also Read : 5 Must-Play Indie Games from Steam Next Fest 2026
