Obselidia

In Diane Bell's eccentric indie comedy, Michael Piccirilli stars as George, a bookish figure who believes that he is the world's last door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. George isn't exactly cutting edge: he writes on a manual typewriter and is obsessed with the concept of obsolescence, ultimately deciding to compile a book about all of the things that have become obsolete. George is joined in his quest by Sophie (Gaynor Howe), a projectionist in a theater that shows silent films. Together, they venture to Death Valley to track down a reclusive scientist who has grandly predicted the end of the planet for the year 2100. Obselidia plays with a number of ideas related to values and perceptions—George is focused aggressively on preserving a record of the extinct and the defunct, while Sophie's philosophy is that nothing ever becomes obsolete as long as someone loves it. A Sundance Film Festival award-winner, the film gets a lot of mileage from its loose-limbed charm and the chemistry between Piccirilli and Howe. Recommended. (P. Hall)