Computer Chess – first look review

Andrew Bujalski's funny, monochrome tale of the shabby beginnings of digital technology, shown at the Berlin film festival, is unique

Anyone disappointed by the authenticity of the Steve Jobs biopic really ought to take a look at this rather brilliantly conceived study of a (fictional) computer v computer chess tournament in the early 80s. (We know it's before 1984, as the tournament host claims he's put a bet on that it will take until then for a computer to beat a human at the game.) Written and directed by mumblecore maestro Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation), this is about as perfect a rendering of the era as you could ask for – to the extent you would genuinely not be surprised should this turn out to have been footage dug up from some time capsule buried in 1981.

Shot on a very old-school Sony video camera, the fuzzy, distorted black-and-white visuals lend an entirely apposite air of grainy authenticity to the ragged assembly of tech nerds and programming obsessives that are the film's main focus. And I have to say the acting is uniformly superb: every twitch, every stumble, every stutter is deployed with absolute plausibility. Where Bujalski's earlier films concentrated on capturing the rhythms and cadences of everyday awkwardness in contemporary settings, here, he's gone one better and pulled it off for a time well in the past.

There is also a story, of sorts, happening. This gathering is a long way from the glamour and showbiz of the modern product launch: here we have a score or so of sweaty geeks in horrible 80s shirts corralled into a budget hotel: a single weekend will see them joust their chess programmes against each other. Checkers takes on Tsar 3.0, etc. Personalities emerge from the mass: bitter, frustrated Beuscher (Wiley Wiggins from Dazed and Confused), brash, besuited Papageorge (Myles Paige), shy-but-smart Bishton (Patrick Riester). Though there's certainly satiric intent here, there's also a wide-eyed appreciation for just what humble, shabby beginnings the digital revolution sprang from.

Computer Chess certainly has its longueurs: there are a few too many scenes in which the programmers discuss the future potential of artificial intelligence, and Bujalski's meandering, apparently-structureless narrative method – where scenes rarely lead into each other – doesn't exactly help the forward momentum. But some great running gags – continual double-booking with a let-it-all-hang-out encounter group; constant acknowledgement of the only "lady" at the convention; Papageorge's failure to find a bed for the night – mean that a giggle is never far away. Bujalski really has pulled off something extraordinary here: it won't be to everyone's taste, for sure – this is no War Games-style pop comedy. But as an act of cultural archaeology I can think of few better.

Guardian