EXCLUSIVELY AT THE IFI

Closing this Thursday, November 28th.

An early-‘80s period piece, a time long before the game could be played on any phone, Computer Chess is set at a conference in a cheap hotel, a gathering skeptical as to whether a computer programme will ever be designed to beat a person at chess. There are conflicts and rivalries within this group of geeks, divisions that become increasingly tense and strange, particularly as a self-discovery class has been booked into the same hotel. Shot on black and white video, apparently on a camera from the era in which it is set, the film is endearingly fetishistic about analogue technology, has a smart, funny script, and there are committed performances from the ensemble cast.

Sharing the wit and warmth displayed in his previous features (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax), Computer Chess illustrates what an inventive, daring and individual filmmaker Bujalski has become.

Don’t forget we now schedule weekly!