‘OBEX’, the surreal sci-fi film with a soundtrack by Animal Collective’s Deakin, now streaming

One of the most original, quirky and transfixing films in recent memory was OBEX, a surreal sci-fi fantasy written, directed and starring Albert Birney and released via Oscilloscope, the indie film company co-founded by the late Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys. Birney plays Conor, a shy young man who lives with his dog and spends much of his time playing games on his Macintosh computer (the year is 1987). He orders a mysterious game, OBEX, and he soon finds himself trapped in a “low-tech, but high-stakes analog hellscape as the line between reality and game blurs.”

Shot in black and white, OBEX is in some ways Tron if it was made by David Lynch or Guy Madden, as Birney uses inventive low-fi effects that embrace the film’s themes (and modest budget). Adding to the eerie vibes is electronic score by Josh Dibb, aka Animal Collective‘s Deakin.

After a January theatrical run, OBEX has hit streaming and you can rent it on VEEPS.

Watch the OBEX trailer below.

Deakin and Geologist also did the score for recent Hurricane Sandy documentary, Jetty.