The joy of being a sim Owner on SL

SYNOPSIS: The story of Jitze (20), a professional gamer who travels around the world to compete in video game tournaments. During a stay in Taipei he unexpectedly witnesses an accident which ressembles those he re-enacts in his video games on a day to day basis; this confronts him with his own mortality and his world is suddenly shaken by reality, in a violent way. He meets an intriguing Taiwanese woman in the hotel bar where he is staying, never quite figuring out whether she is an escort, masseuse or bettle nut girl. He tries to get close to her but only manages to do so in the virtual world, on Second Life which they both visit.

Following on the heels of Chatroom comes another movie with a foot in the virtual world. Here, though, the realms of cyberspace are represented literally rather than metaphorically. The movie features a sprinkling of scenes from Dutch gamer Jitze (Stijn Koomen)’s exploits in a war sim contest and another handful from the artificial reality of Second Life. However, in this case, the fact of computer-based worlds and their effect on our essential being is the message of this movie, rather than a device for a more plot-driven tale.

Jitze is competing in a gaming tournament in Taiwan and is the star of his team, which is easing through the early rounds. His split from his surroundings evokes that of Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation – only Jitze isn’t really a stranger in a strange land. As his response to witnessing a motorbike accent shows, his disconnect is in fact with other people and himself. A (psychosomatic?) shoulder injury then pushes him to the sidelines, and towards Min Min (Ke Huan-Ru), who he attaches himself to in what seems like a desire to feel. She urges him to join her on Second Life, but it’s the time they spend together and the reality of her physical touch which arguably reconnects him with the world and himself.

The film is evenly-paced but languidly so. Long, dialogue-free scenes are spread throughout, which does tend to drag despite the brisk 87 minute runtime. You do get a fair sense of Jitze’s isolation, but the ideas in the movie sometimes feel lost in its self-consciously arty direction. Despite that, R U There is just about thought-provoking enough to keep things interesting.

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