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‘Obex’ Review: Lo-Fi Fantasy in Love With Outdated Technology Offers an Earnest Warning
Albert Birney’s endearingly crafted idiosyncratic vision of life consumed by media dabbles in darkness while on a quest to its life-affirming intent.
This ingenious fantasy about the perils of finding comfort in screens while avoiding flesh-and-blood connections is the product of the close artistic partnership between Birney — who wrote, directed, edited and stars — and Pete Ohs, credited as the cinematographer, co-writer and co-editor. Though the design of its mask comes directly from Birney’s previous feat of imagination, “Strawberry Mansion” (co-directed with Kentucker Audley), IXAROTH’s constitution brings to mind the horned entity in Carlos Reygadas’ radical “Post Tenebras Lux” as it wanders through Conor’s home. During his quest for Sandy — fueled by Josh Dibb’s soaring synth score, honoring the movie’s 1980s DNA — Conor makes an unusual friend: Victor (Frank Mosley), a humanoid television (who has the body of a man with a TV set for a head).
Or read this on Variety