An agoraphobic computer artist embarks on a strange journey of self-discovery in the engaging and off-kilter Obex, from writer-director-star Albert Birney.
Let’s be honest right from the start. Obex is a very niche film. It’s written, directed, and starring Albert Birney, who previously co-wrote and co-directed Strawberry Mansions. If you’ve seen Strawberry Mansions, you know to expect something very unconventional but wholly engaging with a new point of view, strange turns, and a real sense of loving oddity. General audiences may not be able to twist their mind and open to accept this sort of cult destined film, but for those attuned to the weird, cultish, oddball flicks, they will find a sweet, fun, incredibly earnest and clever little adventure. It has a specific lo-fi, homemade, off-kilter in script, performance, shot and story and especially in character. But incredibly engaging and strange.
Conor is a computer guy in the early 80s; he has the weird job of translating people’s photos into ASCII art for a few bucks. Agoraphobic, his only connection to the outside world is a neighbour who brings groceries, as only heard from the other side of the door, and his dog. He lives a quiet, but lonely, existence with his dog Sandy, taping A Nightmare on Elm Street off TV to add to a giant collection of recorded media, while watching on a wall of TVs, singing himself to sleep with a homemade karaoke machine. He’s troubled, in a way we don’t know yet, but of course will be considered in the main push of the film. But for all the odd lonely guy existence, Albert Birney endears us to Conor; he’s likeable and kind. I’d be his friend. He answers an ad to play a new game, Obex, enquiring about him. While he originally pushes the game away for not living up to snuff, something weird happens. The villain comes out and kidnaps Sandy! The only way to get back the precious dog is to get Troned into David Lynch’s Legend of Zelda to face his demons and the villain and become a hero.
While I’ll admit, this opening is a little too long (more than once, I was thinking “is this going somewhere, did I get the plot wrong?”), upon Conor setting off to save Sandy and self-discovery, it gains a nice drive. Still, it’s its own brand of lo-fi, low-key energy, but it works as Conor works his way through himself. It has that purposeful, matter-of-fact, lower-emotion acting style, giving a level of artificiality. I liked that, keeping the film off-kilter. The quest is engaging, and the people he meets give wonderfully odd goes: a shopkeeper, played by Calie Hernandez from Invention, who also voices the neighbour, a knight, and most importantly, Victor. Victor is a sentient TV, in looks but very different in disposition from Saga’s TV race. I love Victor. There’s a poignant, touching sincerity to it all, especially with Victor, as performed by Frank Mosley.
The black-and-white cinematography helps build the otherworldly, transforming whatever rolling hills they had access to into just enough of a different place to work. It especially helps with the various special effects. These were just lovely, filled with ingenuity and surprise. To try to describe them wouldn’t do them or the film justice as they are found. But if you’ve read this far and are in on the film, you’ll dig.
Albert Birney’s Obex is a film for those who crave the strange and esoteric. The films that don’t exactly line up with expectations of how film works, filled with big ideas and bright creativity. The sort who see Eraserhead and think “yes, this type of movie please. Confuse me, and I’ll love you” Obex is a lovely journey through the weird sort of self-discovery. Seek it out if it’s your jam.