Trailer Debut – ‘OBEX’ from the Mind of Albert Birney – In Theaters January 9th

OPENING IN THEATERS JANUARY 9, 2026

“Though OBEX, too, is a fantasy, it’s also a work of meticulous realism — but the realities that it dramatizes are so unusual and so finely observed that they outshine the imaginative speculations to which they give rise.”

– THE NEW YORKER

“‘Eraserhead’ Meets ‘The Legend of Zelda’ in a Black-and-White, Cicada-Plagued Sci-Fi Trip”

– INDIEWIRE

“OBEX wants you to fight demons and save your dog. Albert Birney’s feature is fantastical and weird enough to convince me to do just that.”

– DREAD CENTRAL

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.

Directed by ALBERT BIRNEY

Written by ALBERT BIRNEY and PETE OHS

Produced by EMMA HANNAWAY, ALBERT BIRNEY, JAMES BELFER, PETE OHS

Cinematography by PETE OHS

Starring: ALBERT BIRNEY, CALLIE HERNANDEZ, PAISLEY ISAACS, FRANK MOSLEY, TYLER DAVIS

Music Composed By: Josh Dibb (Deakin, Animal Collective)

Run Time: 90 minutes

Festivals: 2025 Sundance

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