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“An endearingly nutty, proudly analog tribute to the ultra-nerdy innovators of yesteryear.” – Variety“An artificially intelligent comedy,” as the film’s marketing winkingly dubbed it, COMPUTER CHESS is an off-kilter, lo‑fi time capsule set during a weekend tournament for chess software programmers in the early 1980s. Shot on vintage video equipment, Andrew Bujalski’s delightfully deadpan delight is equal parts nerdy satire and surreal comedy full of glitchy footage, earnest techno-babble, and shaggy haired dweebs in Coke-bottle glasses who take board games way too seriously. Quirky, hilarious, and wonderfully off‑kilter, COMPUTER CHESS transports us back to a moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. We get to know the eccentric geniuses possessed of the vision to teach a CPU to defeat man at his own game, laying the groundwork for our current era of AI overload.
Come out early for a retro computing pre-show, starting at 6:30 pm.
This screening is part of Arkadin’s May 2026 series, THE COMPUTER IS MY FRENEMY, featuring films that explore our collective love-hate relationship with the digital world. Does the internet truly bring us together or only tear us further apart? Find out this month!
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Event Venue
Arkadin Cinema & Bar, 5228 Gravois Ave, St Louis, MO 63116-2310, United States, Southhampton
Tickets
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