Obex (2026) Movie Review

Directed by: Albert Birney

Written by: Albert Birney

Starring: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Frank Mosley

Film Review by: Holly Baker

⭐⭐⭐⭐

OBEX (2026) is an artistic, black-and-white surrealist film following Conor, a solitary man who lives with his dog, Sandy. Conor discovers a video game that will provide him with an adventure and a purpose, with this comes chaos and enlightenment. 

The film establishes its style with European-esque long, still camera takes, skilful use of silence, and simplicity in its mise en scene. Most of the film is set within Conor’s home as audiences are slowly invited into his mind and the inner workings of his life, particularly in the creative way that technology is incorporated. 

There is a subtle tone of sadness and desire throughout the first act, viewers get the sense that Conor is longing for a sense of freedom, conveyed through his artistic use of old-school computer technology to create images. Albert Birney, who directed and wrote OBEX, as well as starring as Conor, masterfully expresses attachment to familiarity as well as his desire for something more. Conor is unusual, seen in his strange visions, obsessions with bugs and technology, as well as his apparent inability to interact with other humans. His interactions with his impressively animated life companion- and dog- Sandy, are well established to communicate a sense of unconventional domestic routine that they are both fully conformed to and content in. 

OBEX’s ominous tone, combined with surreal confusion, works in a very similar fashion to Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko (2001). Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character Donnie will relish in Conor’s similarity to him; his disinterest in conforming to everyday normality, his finding comfort in the strange, and intrigue in the bewildering. OBEX also follows a similar structure to Donnie Darko, as when Conor enters the OBEX game, just as Donnie enters the alternate universe, he is tasked with a mission that only he is able to understand and complete, and viewers, just like Conor, are never quite sure what is real.

There is a satanic horror in OBEX, which is highly effective, with several incorporations of the devil figure, which are unnerving. The film leans heavily on a Lynchian weirdness and a sense of a lingering threat, which lures viewers in, allowing many interpretations to come to light. There are many great allegories to be found here, such as the dangers of technology, as well as mental health struggles. The theme of humanity becoming a slave to the screen in order to escape the disastrous reality we live in is highly perceivable, the film certainly goes further than this, expressing a sense of derealisation for Conor, which the viewer feels thoroughly. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8HijJTWckk

Obex Official Film Trailer

An apt comparison could be David Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1983), for its sensual strangeness and ability to bring to life the virtual world and strong use of editing and special effects. As well as this, there are notes of similarity to I Saw The TV Glow (2024) for both films use the world of media as a means of escape and as a search for meaning and identity, as well as a realm that is full of loss, but in this crucial experience.

There is a heartfelt sentiment to end this surreal piece, as what starts as an adventurous quest for the curious Conor becomes an opening to a world full of sensations he seemed to lack in his previously mundane life. The film’s incorporation of normality through simple realism, combined with an escalation into devilish fantasy, results in a softly apocalyptic feel, and an excellent cinematic experience that viewers will immerse themselves in as they attempt to seek meaning. The film’s consistent eerie feel pays off with a deepening mystery and stylistic horror, with a dark, yet adoring tone. 

OBEX will have its UK Premiere at Glasgow Film Festival on Monday 2nd March and will be available on Digital from 9th March.