CIFF 2010--R U There

This next film from 2010 CIFF comes from The Netherlands and is directed by Shanghai-based Dutchman David Verbeek. As noted by the title of the film, this has internet relationships as its theme. 

A competitive video gamer Jitze is in Taiwan with his team for a tournament. It seems gaming is his only life and he has little need or desire for real, interpersonal relationships. While there, he is witness to a random death at a traffic collision, where he sees a young woman die. This seems to be a catalyst that starts his body stressing out, whether it's physical due to his gaming, or psychosomatic, we're not sure.

At his hotel, he sees a "hostess" MinMin but is unsure if she is a prostitute. Later he sees her in the elevator and asks for a "massage" but she implies she is not that sort of person (a lot of their dialogue together is based on implications and unspoken). She agrees to give him a real massage to help his shoulder, which helps for a time. He tracks her down to her dayjob at a convenience store, where she tries to give another massage. Due to his injury though, this is more painful. She tells him that to relax she often escapes by role playing in the online community Second Life, where people can make avatars and interact with people also playing from around the world. This seems to be a metaphor of Jitze's life as well as a way of connecting with MinMin, who is reticent of letting him get too physically and emotionally close. In Second Life, he sees she is a bionic fairy, and he takes on the persona of a soldier, an entity he often plays in his video games.

Through this one-on-one relationship in Second Life, Jitze is able to feel emotionally open in a way he was unwilling to do so before. It shows to us how fulfilling a virtual relationship can be, despite its physical distance. These segments may feel as nothing is happening, I think it allows us to step into Jitze's skin as he explores his internal feelings, whether they are spoken to MinMin or not.

Although the description of the plot in the program seemed like one that was more mainstream or a male-oriented topic, this film gave me a look at some communities I haven't seen before. While it takes place in Taiwan, it really is a European film in its beautiful visual style, acting, pacing, and script. I found the depcition of this relationship well portrayed within the Second Life system and could see how these two aloof people could open up to each other in this manner. I gave this 4.5/5 stars.