Obex (2025) by Albert Birney: A black-and-white lo-fi trip where 1987 computer games swallow reality whole

Summary of the Movie:Pre-internet loneliness meets analog nightmare—then the dog disappears into the game

Conor hasn't left his house in years, living inside slow-rendering Mac graphics and late-night horror marathons with his dog Sandy. He makes rent doing ASCII art on primitive computers, bathes in front of a TV, sleeps with screens glowing. Then he plays OBEX—a mysterious new game that feels too simple until Sandy vanishes and suddenly Conor's diving into a low-tech, high-stakes digital hellscape where 8-bit logic becomes the only reality that matters. Shot in stark black-and-white with DIY effects that look like Eraserhead met The Legend of Zelda, Birney creates nostalgic nightmare fuel about what screens give us and what they take away.

1987, no internet—just a guy, his dog, and a computer game that ate them both.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/obex (US)

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29544916/

Link review: https://thefilmstage.com/sundance-review-obex-is-an-inventive-lo-fi-and-otherworldly-adventure/

• Genre: Sci-fi horror fantasy—experimental lo-fi digital nightmare where video game logic replaces reality and the line between screen and life dissolves completely

• Movie plot: Conor Marsh lives alone in pre-internet 1987 Baltimore doing ASCII art on his Mac, never leaving the house, spending every moment in front of screens with dog Sandy; he loads mysterious game OBEX that seems simple until Sandy disappears and Conor gets pulled into the game's bizarre retro-futuristic world where he has to navigate surreal 8-bit realms using old-school video game logic to rescue her while reality and gameplay blur until there's no difference left

• Movie themes: Screen addiction before screens were everywhere, loneliness finding comfort in pixels instead of people, how media becomes substitute for actual life, the emotional cost of living inside synthetic worlds, whether digital proxies can ever replace analog connection

• Movie trend: Lo-fi experimental cinema using retro video game aesthetics—DIY effects meeting gallery-installation vibes, treating early computer era as surrealist territory worth revisiting

• Social trend: Pre-internet nostalgia colliding with always-online anxiety—using 1987 to reflect on how smartphones and constant connectivity created loneliness epidemic nobody saw coming

• Movie director: Albert Birney (Strawberry Mansion) writes, directs, and stars—known for inventive micro-budget work that looks like museum installations, treats small budgets as creative opportunity rather than limitation

• Top casting: Birney as Conor brings agoraphobic intensity—you believe he hasn't touched grass in years; Callie Hernandez as neighbor Mary radiates quiet empathy; Frank Mosley rounds out minimal cast where the screens get more runtime than humans

• Awards and recognition: 4 nominations, 75 Metascore, 6.0 IMDb—premiered Sundance 2025 where critics praised unique vision and nostalgic creativity despite polarized audience reactions

• Release and availability: January 25, 2025 US theatrical (limited); $40K box office on micro-budget signals art-house cult appeal over mainstream reach

• Why to watch movie: If you want Eraserhead meets Zelda—surreal 8-bit nightmare shot in striking black-and-white that treats 1987 computer obsession as portal to something genuinely unsettling

• Key Success Factors: Black-and-white cinematography from Pete Ohs creates cohesive visual world; DIY special effects (cheap but self-aware) give it handmade charm that expensive CGI couldn't replicate; nostalgic for early Mac era without romanticizing the loneliness screens enabled

Insights: Screens were lonely before the internet made loneliness official

Industry Insight: Micro-budget experimental cinema finds Sundance slots when visual imagination compensates for small budgets—Birney proves creativity matters more than money when aesthetic is this committed. Consumer Insight: Nostalgic for 1987 computing resonates with "old nerds" who lived inside pixelated universes—film speaks directly to generation that remembers pre-internet screen addiction. Brand Insight: Lo-fi DIY effects become feature not bug when self-aware—audiences embrace handmade aesthetic that acknowledges budget limitations and transforms them into creative choices.

Birney doesn't just reference video games—he recreates their visual language. The film uses actual retro game tricks, 1980s special effects, experimental editing that mimics how early computers rendered graphics. Near the end, a cascade of skulls appears onscreen distilling '80s zombie horror and indie game aesthetics simultaneously. The three-TV vertical totem dominating Conor's living room becomes character itself—constant glow, constant distraction, constant retreat from anything resembling human contact. ASCII art sequences (Conor's job redrawing photos using typographic symbols on primitive Macs) get filmed like action scenes, finger-tapping triumphant and absurd. The film treats screens as portals to existential voids before anyone knew that's what they'd become.

Why It Is Trending: Pre-internet nostalgia meets screen-addiction commentary—1987 becomes mirror for 2025

Obex lands exactly when culture's obsessed with both retro computing nostalgia and smartphone addiction anxiety. Birney uses 1987—pre-internet, pre-smartphone, just primitive Macs and VHS—to comment on how screens already created loneliness before we had pocket-sized ones. It's Videodrome and TRON updated for the always-online generation that somehow feels more isolated than the agoraphobic guy who never left his house in the '80s.

• Concept → consequence: Video game swallows reality premise hits different in 2025—when everyone lives half-inside screens anyway, watching Conor get literally absorbed into OBEX feels less like sci-fi and more like documentation

• Culture → visibility: Sundance premiere gets critical attention for unique vision—75 Metascore signals reviewers respond to experimental approach even when audiences split on whether it's brilliant or too weird

• Distribution → discovery: Limited $40K theatrical run means this finds audience through streaming and cult following—exact kind of film that becomes Reddit favorite and late-night discovery rather than multiplex hit

• Timing → perception: Drops same moment as discourse around screen time, digital detox, phone addiction peaks—using 1987 to critique 2025's always-online existence resonates as clever commentary rather than preachy screed

• Performance → relatability: Birney's agoraphobic isolation feels uncomfortably familiar post-pandemic—guy who hasn't left house in years suddenly seems less like extreme outlier and more like everybody during lockdown

Insights: We were already lonely in 1987—smartphones just made it official

Industry Insight: Experimental films treating screens as both comfort and prison find festival audiences exactly when culture's having that exact conversation about devices and isolation. Consumer Insight: "Old nerds" who remember Space Invaders and early Zelda feel seen—film speaks directly to generation that lived inside pixelated worlds before it was ubiquitous. Brand Insight: Black-and-white aesthetic plus retro game visuals create instantly shareable stills—film generates social media buzz through striking imagery even with tiny theatrical footprint.

Obex trends because it's doing double nostalgia: nostalgic for 1987 computing while also warning that the seeds of 2025's loneliness epidemic were planted back then. Reviewers compare it to Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow (another 2024 Sundance film about screen-based identity formation), but Obex feels more cohesive and less indulgent. The DIY special effects—cheap costumes, handmade sets, effects that look intentionally rough—become asset rather than limitation because the self-aware aesthetic matches the lo-fi video game world. Critics calling it "movie-video-art" and comparing it to museum installations signal this works as experimental piece first, narrative film second.

What Movie Trend Is Followed: Lo-fi experimental nostalgia cinema—retro tech as surrealist playground

Obex belongs to micro-budget experimental films using obsolete technology as aesthetic and thematic territory. The trend evolved from David Lynch's industrial surrealism through mumblecore's naturalism into contemporary DIY cinema treating retro computing, VHS culture, and early gaming as legitimate artistic subjects worth exploring through handmade effects and unconventional narratives.

• Format lifecycle: Started with Lynch making industrial decay beautiful (Eraserhead), evolved through '90s indie cinema's low-budget creativity, now landing in films that treat 1980s-90s tech nostalgia as portal to surrealist storytelling and cultural commentary about screen addiction

• Aesthetic logic: Black-and-white cinematography creates cohesive visual world where cheap effects feel intentional—lo-fi video game graphics, crude VHS quality, primitive Mac interfaces all become legitimate artistic choices rather than budget constraints

• Psychological effect: Audiences experience cognitive dissonance between nostalgic comfort (remember when games looked like this?) and mounting dread (this guy's life is genuinely sad)—nostalgia curdles into critique without losing affection for the era

• Genre inheritance: Pulls from Lynch's surrealist nightmares, Cronenberg's body-horror technology fears, early TRON-era cyber-anxiety, and contemporary video game aesthetics where indie developers embrace intentional lo-fi visuals

Insights: Retro tech stopped being novelty—now it's legitimate artistic language

Industry Insight: Micro-budget experimental films using obsolete technology find festival slots when visual commitment is total—half-measures don't work, but full aesthetic immersion gets Sundance premieres. Consumer Insight: Nostalgia for early computing resonates across generations—older viewers remember living it, younger viewers fetishize the analog warmth they missed. Brand Insight: DIY special effects in 2025 signal artistic authenticity rather than poverty—audiences read handmade aesthetics as creative choice proving filmmaker vision matters more than budget size.

Obex proves lo-fi experimental cinema can tackle screen addiction without expensive effects. Birney's approach—write, direct, star, use friends and minimal crew, shoot black-and-white to unify cheap effects—creates museum-quality "movie-video-art" on pocket change. The three-TV totem, the ASCII art sequences, the game world built from crude costumes and matte backgrounds all work because the aesthetic is committed. Reviewers noting similarities to Hundreds of Beavers (scrappy inventive effects) and Riddle of Fire (Zelda-influenced adventure) signal there's emerging micro-budget movement using retro game aesthetics seriously. The film doesn't apologize for looking cheap—it weaponizes the cheapness as part of the surrealist vision.

Trends 2026: Retro tech nostalgia meets screen-addiction anxiety—1980s become cultural mirror

Lo-fi experimental films using obsolete technology as thematic and visual territory are moving from festival curiosity to recognizable subgenre. As screen-time anxiety peaks and digital detox becomes mainstream conversation, filmmakers increasingly use pre-internet eras (especially 1980s early computing) to comment on always-online present without being preachy about phones.

Implications:

Retro computing aesthetics become legitimate artistic choice rather than budget limitation—black-and-white cinematography plus intentional lo-fi effects signal experimental ambition to festival programmers. Screen addiction commentary works better through period setting than contemporary lecturing—using 1987 to critique 2025 lets audiences draw own conclusions rather than feeling preached at. DIY micro-budget filmmaking proves creativity matters more than money when aesthetic commitment is total—Obex's $40K box office is irrelevant compared to critical conversation and cult following it generates.

Where it is visible (industry):

Sundance and similar festivals actively programming experimental films treating technology nostalgia seriously—not just as novelty but as legitimate artistic territory for exploring contemporary anxieties. Streaming platforms licensing micro-budget experimental work as niche content for specific audiences—these films don't need theatrical success when cult followings emerge online. Critics comparing new releases to established touchstones (Lynch, Cronenberg, I Saw the TV Glow) signal retro-tech experimental cinema is recognized category worth taking seriously.

Related movie trends:

• Lo-fi retro game aesthetics - Films using 8-bit graphics, crude VHS quality, primitive computer interfaces as intentional visual language rather than budget compromise

• Pre-internet period commentary - Setting films in 1980s-90s to comment on contemporary screen addiction without directly showing smartphones or social media

• DIY experimental gallery cinema - Micro-budget films functioning as museum installations first, narrative features second—"movie-video-art" that belongs in galleries as much as theaters

• Technology nostalgia horror - Treating early computing, VHS culture, analog media as source of genuine unease rather than just warm fuzzy memories

Related consumer trends:

• Old nerd nostalgia - Generation that lived inside early video games feeling seen by films treating pixelated universes as legitimate childhood experience worth exploring

• Screen-time anxiety mainstream - Digital detox, phone addiction, always-online exhaustion becoming dominant cultural conversation creating appetite for films exploring these themes

• Analog warmth fetishization - Younger audiences who missed pre-internet era romanticizing VHS, primitive computers, physical media as antidote to streaming ephemera

• Cult film discovery online - Micro-budget experimental work finding audiences through Reddit, film Twitter, streaming rather than theatrical runs—$40K box office becomes irrelevant metric

The Trends: 1987 becomes mirror for 2025—screens were always the problem

Trend Type	Trend Name	Description	Implications
Core Movie Trend	Lo-fi retro-tech experimental cinema	Micro-budget films using obsolete technology (early Macs, VHS, 8-bit games) as visual language and thematic territory to explore screen addiction before smartphones existed	Period settings allow screen-addiction commentary without preaching—1987 critiques 2025 by showing loneliness epidemic started before internet
Core Consumer Trend	Pre-internet nostalgia meets always-online anxiety	Audiences simultaneously nostalgic for analog era and anxious about current screen dependence—creates appetite for films exploring that tension	Films treating early computing as both comfort and warning resonate with viewers living half-inside screens who remember when it wasn't ubiquitous
Core Social Trend	Screen addiction cultural conversation peak	Digital detox, phone bans, screen-time limits becoming mainstream as society recognizes always-online existence creates loneliness rather than connection	Cinema catches up to cultural moment by exploring how screens isolated people before smartphones made isolation official
Core Strategy	DIY effects as artistic authenticity	Handmade special effects, black-and-white cinematography, minimal budgets signal experimental ambition rather than poverty when aesthetic commitment is total	Micro-budget becomes creative advantage—audiences read lo-fi as artistic choice proving vision matters more than money
Core Motivation	Nostalgia that curdles into critique	Films using retro tech affectionately while simultaneously warning it planted seeds of contemporary problems—love and fear coexisting	Audiences want complicated relationship with technology history—not just romanticizing analog past or demonizing digital present

Insights: We were lonely before the internet—Obex just films the proof

Industry Insight: Experimental films using retro tech seriously find festival audiences exactly when culture's questioning screen dependence—timing matters as much as execution. Consumer Insight: "Old nerds" who lived inside early games feel validation—film treats pixelated childhoods as legitimate experience worth exploring rather than embarrassing phase to outgrow. Brand Insight: Black-and-white plus DIY effects create shareable imagery—film generates online conversation disproportionate to tiny theatrical footprint through striking stills and clips.

Obex arrives as retro computing nostalgia collides with screen-addiction anxiety. Birney proves you can critique always-online existence by filming pre-internet isolation—Conor's 1987 agoraphobia mirrors 2025's pandemic lockdown screen dependence, making period setting feel uncomfortably contemporary. The micro-budget becomes asset: handmade effects, crude costumes, lo-fi game graphics all reinforce the film's argument that screens were portals to loneliness long before smartphones made it epidemic. Festival programmers recognize this as legitimate experimental territory, critics compare it to Lynch and Cronenberg, and cult audiences discover it online where $40K theatrical run becomes irrelevant.

Final Verdict: Lynch meets Zelda—and the result is uncomfortably beautiful

Obex isn't trying to be accessible or commercial—it's trying to capture what 1987 screen addiction felt like and use that feeling to comment on 2025 without mentioning phones once. Birney writes, directs, stars, and commits totally to the lo-fi aesthetic, creating surrealist nightmare that treats early computing as both nostalgic comfort and genuine warning about where we ended up.

• Meaning: Screens isolated people before the internet made isolation official—the loneliness epidemic didn't start with smartphones, it started the moment someone chose pixels over people and never looked back

• Relevance: Screen-addiction anxiety is mainstream conversation now—digital detox, phone bans, always-online exhaustion creating appetite for films exploring how we got here without lecturing about it

• Endurance: Experimental aesthetic gives staying power—this works as gallery installation, museum piece, cult discovery rather than needing traditional theatrical success to matter

• Legacy: Proves micro-budget experimental cinema can tackle contemporary anxieties through period settings—1987 becomes legitimate artistic territory for exploring 2025 problems

Insights: The dog disappears into the game—and we've all been chasing her ever since

Industry Insight: Sundance premieres for lo-fi experimental work signal festivals value visual imagination over budget size—creativity compensates when aesthetic commitment is total. Consumer Insight: Polarized reactions (6.0 IMDb, 75 Metascore) prove experimental work finds its people—film doesn't need everyone to love it when cult following emerges organically. Brand Insight: DIY effects in 2025 signal artistic authenticity—audiences read handmade aesthetics as proof filmmaker vision matters more than money, creating credibility expensive CGI can't buy.

Obex won't work for everyone—if you need conventional narrative and polished effects, this isn't it. But if you want Eraserhead meeting The Legend of Zelda in a 1987 Baltimore living room lit only by screen glow, it delivers completely. The black-and-white cinematography unifies cheap effects into cohesive surrealist vision. Birney's performance makes agoraphobic isolation feel genuine rather than quirky. And the commentary about screens creating loneliness before the internet existed hits harder than any contemporary phone-addiction lecture could. It's movie-video-art that belongs in museums as much as theaters—and that's exactly what makes it matter.