We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)
(On Cable TV, July 2022) The curio factor alone is enough to make We Met in Virtual Reality worth a mention or two—entirely “filmed” within VRChat during the worst of the pandemic lockdown, it’s a film that features human voices but entirely synthetic visuals. A documentary showcasing avatars and their screen names, it’s a meandering, often unfocused look at communities existing right now in virtual reality. Much of the thematic intention is to show the incredible capacity for humans to make social connection despite all obstacles—never mind the technology, the absence of faces, and the often-imperfect avatars: the people in the film are pioneers in creating virtual dance classes, lending help to each other, having virtual parties and presentation, having fun having virtual joyrides and even, yes, falling in love online. The illusion never breaks: even in describing how cyber-soulmates take their relationship to a physical level by visiting each other, the film features an illustrative virtual plane trip with participant voice-over describing their actions and feelings. It would be easy and cheap to criticize the result—pointing out, for instance, that the film leaves a curious impression by selecting a succession of people all too willing to admit that they have trouble fitting in a physical life—through disabilities, anxieties or difficult histories, they have easier times creating connections virtually than physically. This is not explored, though—and I suspect that you wouldn’t have to go full-VR to find many people who have an easier time connecting online than in real life. Nor is it an easy film to watch: while the first few minutes are original enough to be interesting, the grotesque variety of art style, limited graphic quality and limitations of virtual cinematography eventually make this film obnoxious to watch. It quickly became apparent that director Joe Hunting’s film was best approached as an illustrated podcast—to be listened to while doing something else rather than becoming an exclusive focus on attention. Still, by the end of the film, I felt a curious affection for most participants—they managed to connect to other people even through cumbersome technological layers, and made their own lives a bit better at no obvious disadvantage to anyone else. (Whether this is true in physical space is something the film refuses to tackle.) No, I’m not downloading VRChat—but I wish them the best, and I hope that the much-heralded metaverse, if ever it arrives, fits their needs rather than those of capitalist billionaires.