Relaxer

Cult Michigan auteur Joel Potrykus brings us this bonkers (and kinda gross) burst of 90s nostalgia: one guy, on a couch on the eve of Y2K, mandated by his overlord brother to beat the impossible Level 256 of Pac-Man without getting up, before the apocalypse arrives. The result is like a more absurdist—and even more claustrophobic—version of Darren Aronofsky’s allegory-laden mother!, but with video games. Strange characters come in and out, a supernatural pair of 3D glasses gets involved, and this stunted male archetype is taken to its ultimate, explosive conclusion. Prepare yourself, because Relaxer brilliantly imprisons its audience along with its hero; you’re on that couch, the game is on, and there’s no such thing as getting up for bathroom breaks. IN PERSON: Director Joel Potrykus.