OBEX

Bluesky

Albert Birney’s 2021 festival hit Strawberry Manson wowed audiences around the world and seemed to signal the arrival of a major new talent. In fact, Birney had already been involved in filmmaking for quite some time. If he had missed out on widespread public attention, that’s because he never courted it – he makes films that interest him personally, and that’s why his work is worth seeking out.

A simple tale about one man and his dog, Obex is situated in that particular fantasy subgenre that concerns itself with people getting sucked inside video games. It’s set at the dawn of the home computer age. Conor (played by Birney himself) is restricted to his home by some form of agoraphobia exacerbated by the cicadas which have laid siege to his house. He makes a living by creating ACSII art portraits, advertising in early trade magazines, and it’s in one of these that he finds an advert for OBEX, a game which claims (as many did at the time) to be unlike anything that has gone before because he will be a character in it. Taking pictures of himself and his dog Sandy (played by Dorothy, Birney’s own dog), he sends off for it, but when it arrives, it’s underwhelming. Then, at night, he has a strange dream, and when he wakes up, Sandy has been kidnapped. Only by taking on a series of challenges can he hope to win her back.

The film emerged when Birney was looking for a small project to tide him over between bigger films. It reflects its hero’s life in some ways, in that much of it was made within his own home. Other locations are all local, and fairly basic in appearance, but as such they are very much in line with the sort of games where one would get from one scene to another by typing ‘Go east. Look.’ Conor’s adventure also has a dreamlike quality throughout, as familiar people and things from his own world find new roles within it. Is it all a dream? Sometimes that possibility can sap a film of tension, but here that’s not a real problem, because Conor’s biggest problems are internal. He needs to stop fighting himself and learn to connect with the world. His love for Sandy is perhaps the only thing that can compel him to do it.

There is naturally a heavy dose of nostalgia here, but it’s earned, from the attention to period detail to the way it captures the atmosphere of those games. Some of the effects work is very basic and the combat scenes have a playground quality. The decision to shoot in black and white helps a bit here. Elsewhere, however, there are poignant character moments, such as Conor’s reflections on how he was raised by the television, and Birney’s musings on what that relationship might look like from the television’s point of view.

If you’re looking for polished, visually immersive entertainment, Obex may not be for you. If you’re looking for a witty and heartfelt story with characters you can care about, you may find yourself falling head over heels. Either way, it’s a triumph on a tiny budget. That it has got this far, screening at festivals around the world (including the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival, is testament to the passion with which audiences have responded. Why not take a chance and type ‘run’?

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