Since the 1980s, in cities across the United States and South America, tiles have been placed on the ground saying simply: “TOYNBEE IDEA / IN KUBRICK’S 2001 / RESSURECT DEAD / ON PLANET JUPITER.” For most people, these so-called Toynbee Tiles are nothing but mildly interesting, if difficult to notice, pieces of urban graffiti. But for Justin Duerr, they are a consuming obsession.

Led by director Jon Foy, an amateur team of filmmakers that includes “Resurrect Dead” message board administrator Colin Smith, photographer Steve Weinik and Dueerr himself follow the tiled trail of clues over the course of five years. From deciphering the literal meaning of the tiles’ message to uncovering the significance of one found in Santiago, Chile, from mysterious short wave radio broadcasts to a late night call to a talk radio show, Duerr and his team follow the trail with a focus so singular that this true story almost seems like a paranoid fiction. Built on a web of conspiratorial threads and personal obsession, RESSURECT DEAD is a uniquely surreal documentary about finding an answer to a truly bizarre question.