Lack of good storyline.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Had heard of the film few years ago and finally got my DVD from Amazon today and watched the film. Loved the film. Highly recommended. Kudos to team and thank you for making the film. It is an originally well written, executed film. I don't want to give away anything about the film because I think that may spoil your viewing, and I'm not a very good reviewer to be honest. If I like the film, I say it. If I don't like the film, I say it. This is one of those rare gems that people would've hardly heard of. This movie pretty much speaks about life, death, existentialism, and the meaning of certain things in our purpose of living. And it being a love story, makes it further interesting.

Obselidia (2010)The wide open desert air, the harsh arid sun, the endless views and expectant lulls. And a young woman and young man meeting and connecting in a way neither of them expected, isolated together, almost giddy with happiness. This is the movie at its best, and it's pure magic. Director Diane Bell's only film (so far) is an improbable indie surprise, beautifully photographed and paced.Michael Piccinilli plays George, a man who is so withdrawn and bookish, and so utterly retro tapping away at a manual typewriter (and going to the library to use its computer) he's almost unapproachable. But he's completely likable (the actor was voted most eligible man in Australia), and you can understand his cause--celebrating and preserving all the things that are going obsolete around us, the old digital manual world.Gaynor Howe plays Sophie, a warm, exuberant, charming woman who meets George and sees his vulnerability, and she starts to get George to see how empty his life is. Gently, and with beautiful sincerity, she gets him to open up and discover his larger self, just a little, and so the movie is about their brief time together and a deep bonding. If you can connect to these two characters, you'll love the majority of the movie. Howe is terrific in her only film to date, and she and Piccinilli have genuine, if unusual, chemistry.There is another, too large aspect to the film which gets in the way a little, and that's a political commentary about global warming. Not that there is a clear stance, but there is a third character, not so briefly, who we are supposed to think is some kind of gifted scientist gone hermit in the desert who has predicted the earth's climatic doom. It's not that we don't believe him (or do), it's more just thin science and a bit of repetition as the idea gets stated and re-stated in different ways. I got so interested in the couple I really wanted less and less to think about the hot dry future, especially in a kind of dumbed down way. It is the one core weakness in a disarming, sweet, and unusual film.And the ending will surprise you. It's perfect, and seems to just unfold, like the best of the film does in scene after hot scene.

'Obselidia', created by first time director/writer Diane Bell, apparently went over very well at the Sundance Festival. It's one of those quirky indies which will probably appeal to mostly young people who can identify with the offbeat protagonist played by Michael Piccirilli. Piccirilli, an Australian, is almost 40 years old but his character, George Sanders, feels like he's much younger. George is writing an encyclopedia of obsolete items; he works as a librarian and types his manuscript on an old fashioned typewriter. He films video on an old video camera and enjoys watching slides on an old fashioned slide projector (the slides are interspersed throughout the film and can be seen during the opening and closing credits). Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the film is trying to identify all the items George has collected in his apartment.Obselidia's plot is rather thin. George meets Sophie, a projectionist at movie theater which only plays silent films. Sophie is also a quirky, free spirit and agrees to drive out to Death Valley to meet George's hero, Lewis, a novelist who believes that the human race will probably become extinct in about 100 years due to some kind of looming environmental disaster. When Sophie finds out George is unable to drive, she orders him to get behind the wheel and orders him to drive despite the fact that he has no license. The odd couple finally meet up with Lewis but Sophie finds him to be pretentious. George and Sophie sleep outside in a pup tent but the relationship between them is strictly platonic (except maybe for one chaste kiss).After saying goodbye to Lewis, George and Sophie drive for two hours and discover a curator of a ghost town off a dirt road. When Sophie realizes she forgot her camera, they drive back to Lewis but find him dead. George stays with the body (out of "respect") while Sophie goes for help (but we never see the police arrive or the body taken away). Finally, back home in California, George musters the courage to knock on Sophie's door, only to find that she has boyfriend.The experience in the desert is supposed to have a great impact on George but he doesn't show it. At the end of the film, he's back at the library and says nothing to a woman who had invited him to a party prior to his sojourn in the desert. Not only does 'Obselidia' lack a central antagonist, but George's repudiation of his "love is obsolete" comment at the beginning of the film, is not borne out by any concrete actions in the real world. George is just as cut off from interpersonal relationships as when we first meet him.A character who's obsessed with obsolescence might seem like a clever idea for a movie. The objects of his 'desire' certainly provide grist for the curious cinematographer. But ultimately, George's journey is unsatisfying precisely because the story has little conflict between its characters and offers no significant growth for its offbeat protagonist.

I agree 100% with Todd Mcarthy's review in the Sundance edition of Variety dated 8-14th February 2010. It's now June and this is still the film of the year for me . This movie is eccentric, gentle , intelligent and gorgeously made . It steps outside the box of what is expected from a modern independent film and harks back to the classic European film tradition . The world needs more films like this . Gaynor Howe's performance was outstanding for me and I particularly enjoyed the fact that such a big subject could be tackled within the constraints of a small independent movie . Full credit to the Sundance judges . It's not a fast burn , but it drew me in from the first minute . Bravo to all concerned .