In Alex McLeod’s ALMOST HOME a metallic geometric form travels through a grassy landscape created as a 3D animated environment accompanied by a bucolic soundscape. The movements of the figure are simultaneously creature-like and machine-like. Through its composition, the relationship between the pursuing camera and the roaming figure, and the irregularity of its camera movements, the work references Open World or Free Roam, a style of video gaming whose central character moves through their virtual world with a high degree of freedom in contrast to more linear styles of play. The freedom of the player in Open World gaming makes any restrictions put in place - whether necessitated by the limitations of game design or put in place by the game designer - more obvious. The central figure in ALMOST HOME moves through its world following an irregular route which suggests freedom - but the suggestion of a controlling presence behind the camera and the ambiguous production methods call this freedom into question. The form navigates itself through the landscape of grass and trees, followed closely by the camera. Birds sing in the background along with sounds of wind and the peaceful rustling of leaves. The wind stops as the form hovers in the air; a black hole appears, into which the form vanishes.