Obex (LUXFILMFEST)

..Albert BIRNEY, 90 min, 2025 - United States
In 1987 Maryland, 36-year-old Conor Marsh lives a solitary life with his dog, Sandy, earning his living as an ASCII artist. His only regular human contact is a neighbor who leaves groceries outside his door. When Conor comes across a mysterious video game, he is intrigued by its state-of-the-art premise of scanning real people into its plot. But after Sandy disappears and the boundary between game and reality begins to blur, Conor is pulled into a surrealist fantasy quest to bring her home. Deliciously whimsical and nostalgic, OBEX takes advantage of its pre-internet vantage point by using obsolete technology to reflect on our current online habits. Birney moves easily between fairy tale-esque adventure and horror, buoyed by an analog-leaning electronic score that deepens the film’s lo-fi textures and offbeat fun.