OBEX

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1:48

OBEX

Jan 2026

1h 30m

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

58 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In pre-internet 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy live a life of seclusion, lost in the slow-rendering graphics of early Macs and televisions aglow with late night horror movie marathons. But when he begins playing OBEX, a new and mysterious, state-of-the-art computer game, he finds himself trapped in a low-tech, but high-stakes analog hellscape as the line between reality and game blurs. Audacious and uncanny, writer-director Albert Birney's OBEX is a delightfully skewed lo-fi fantasy. Shot in striking black and white, this surreally nostalgic nightmare revisits the dawn of personal computing to reflect on the loneliness of our always-online present day.

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Critics Consensus

A beguiling odyssey that offsets its scrappy production values with sumptuously analog presentation, OBEX is a wildly inventive riff on the digital world.

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Jan 29, 2026

3/5

Its gentleness and incremental increases in weirdness are a feature, not a bug.

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Robert Lloyd

Los Angeles Times

Jan 16, 2026

“Obex” also reminds us that the power to be positively emboldened by tech — rather than imprisoned by it — always will be in humans’ hands, so long as we remember that we always can unplug.

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

Jan 14, 2026

Birney’s gritty, imaginative filmmaking results in a compelling fantasy that leaves us nowhere to hide . . . from ourselves.

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Pedro Gallego

Espinof

May 21, 2026

3/5

Despite its obvious lack of substance, it's a highly commendable entry in the genre. [Full review in Spanish]

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Graeme Tuckett

The Post NZ

May 7, 2026

4.5/5

Writing "it's Eraserhead does The Hobbit" was definitely not on my bingo card for this or any year.

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Joonatan Itkonen

Region Free

Apr 2, 2026

4/5

Like other great coming-of-age stories, Obex is as scary as it is comforting. It treats its audience with great care, even when it refuses easy answers.

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Craig B

@Boundsy 3 days ago

Well, there goes 20 minutes of my life. I'm not sure what everyone else watched, but this was utter rubbish with zero entertainment appeal.

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MB C

@MB.Cinema Jul 16, 2026

It follows Conor, a lonely man who enters a mysterious game to rescue his dog from a demonic entity. The film presents an intriguing concept, exploring isolation, escapism, and the dangers of living through screens. Visually, it offers creative and nostalgic elements, especially within its strange black-and-white game world. However, the execution feels uneven, with ideas that aren’t fully developed and a somewhat limited emotional impact. Overall, it’s a unique but normal experience—caught between imaginative ambition and incomplete delivery.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Jul 4, 2026

It was different. It garnered '80s nostalgia, and it had a good ending.

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Logan D

@Greynomad38 Mar 22, 2026

In 1987, a man buys a video game which leads to a demon being summoned. A surreal, lo-fi fantasy/psychological journey, this film is about character and mood than spectacle or even plot. Although it takes a while to get moving, the second half is impressive considering Birney (who also stars) was working on a small budget. Although not as strong as Strawberry Mansions I did enjoy how it portrays video games as having deep meaning to some in the 80s.

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Michael S.

@gubernova Mar 21, 2026

Just dull and at times disturbingly odd.

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Boomer B

@RT37592678 Mar 14, 2026

I really enjoyed this movie, as rough as it is. The concept is amazing and for a certain generation, we remember these days. It was very low budget, yet a lot of work went into making it. It so brings back the days of ASCII gaming and the actors, including the dog, did good jobs. It is very bizarre and the tie in to the locust infestations that happen every few years was very innovative. This is a fun little movie, I was very happy to pay my $3.99 to see it. Would have been fun in a theater. I enjoyed the black and white, as well. This movie is what indie very low budget movies are all about.

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Albert Birney

Director

Albert Birney

Conor

Callie Hernandez

Mary

Frank Mosley

Victor

Albert Birney

Screenwriter

Pete Ohs

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Synopsis

In pre-internet 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy live a life of seclusion, lost in the slow-rendering graphics of early Macs and televisions aglow with late night horror movie marathons. But when he begins playing OBEX, a new and mysterious, state-of-the-art computer game, he finds himself trapped in a low-tech, but high-stakes analog hellscape as the line between reality and game blurs. Audacious and uncanny, writer-director Albert Birney's OBEX is a delightfully skewed lo-fi fantasy. Shot in striking black and white, this surreally nostalgic nightmare revisits the dawn of personal computing to reflect on the loneliness of our always-online present day.

Director: Albert Birney
Producer: Emma Hannaway, Pete Ohs, James Belfer, Albert Birney
Screenwriter: Albert Birney, Pete Ohs
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Cartuna, True Friend
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2026
Runtime: 1h 30m

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