October 28, 2026
Provided Image/Matthew Ober
Reed McCoy, co-director of the 'Car Brain' documentary, stands near Center City wearing a homemade coat made out of parking tickets.
Motivated by $800 worth of parking tickets and armed with an old DV camcorder, Matthew Ober and Reed McCoy set out on a mission to investigate the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
In 2021, the Philly filmmakers started conducting interviews for what they envisioned would be a "comedic short film" about what one commenter described as the "authority from hell." Over time, however, Ober said the direction of the movie changed after uncovering more significant transportation concerns than the agency that hands out citations.
"We heard the phrase 'car brain' in an interview. … It just kind of perfectly encapsulated what we were exploring in the movie," Ober said. "The phrase itself refers to the mindset of a driver being entitled, only looking out for themselves, not caring about the safety of others on the street. But it also kind of gets at our cultural obsession with cars.”
Over five years, the short film about the parking authority transformed into 'Car Brain,' a feature documentary that examines how urbanists, cyclists and even parking enforcement officers are working to allow for a safer co-existence between different modes of transportation.
"Have you ever crashed out after getting a parking ticket?" the film's promotional poster asks. "Screamed at someone from your car window? Saved a spot with a lawn chair? You might have a case of Car Brain."
Ober said, "We're all car-brained — whether we like it or not. Even if we're not crazy drivers, it's kind of a symptom of our society — where we allow more space to cars than we do people."
The film crew traveled to Center City intersections, Target parking lots and Eagles tailgates to speak with people about their experiences with driving in Philly. Ultimately, it was safe street activists with Philly Bike Action and other groups that became instrumental in shaping the trajectory of the movie.
In 2024, the filmmakers closely followed the organization's weekly protests against regulations that allowed congregants at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Rittenhouse to park in bike lanes on Sundays. The three-month demonstration — which featured amusing protest signs like “Where would Jesus park?” — resulted in an overturning of the handshake agreement between the church and the city.
A still from 'Car Brain' shows a sign made by a Philly Bike Action advocate who was protesting a church for allowing congregants to park in bike lanes on Sundays.
During this time, a tragic event changed the story again. Barbara Friedes was fatally struck by a speeding car while riding her bike on Spruce Street. The memorial service for the pediatric doctor from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was covered in "Car Brain."
"That became a big part of the movie, and it was something we could not have foreseen going into it," Ober said. “It opened me up even more to the idea that maybe we should really divest from cars in cities, maybe we should invest more in public transit and other forms of bike and walking infrastructure."
Philly's well-documented gripes with the parking authority remain a throughline in the documentary, Ober said, but he and his co-director began to view the agency in a different light. Toward the end of the film, they speak with Tim McKenzie, a former PPA officer who was shot while working on Frankford Avenue in 2022.
"I think it made us think a lot about separating PPA the organization from the workers of the PPA," Ober said. "They're just trying to make a living, but they're the ones who are getting yelled at, getting things thrown at them. … But, it's super complicated because I think people are right for a lot of their anger against the organization."
By using cameras and sound equipment from around 2003, the filmmakers created an aesthetic that they felt is representative of the city of Philadelphia.
“(Philadelphians) are a little gritty, a little rough feeling, but they have a lot of warmth, too and the colors (in the movie) are really vibrant,” Ober said. "We also wanted the timelessness that the cameras brought."
"Car Brain" will premiere at the Bok Building's Lightbox Film Center — where Ober works as a projectionist — at 7 p.m. Thursday. More screenings are in the works, and Ober said his hope is to upload the full project online.
"It's such a Philly film," Ober said. "I think it's important that it gets shown a lot here and that people get a chance to see it."
