R U There (2010)

Huan-Ru Ke, Stijn Koomen, Tom De Hoog, Phi Nguyen

A man who spends his days plugged into an artificial world is eager to get to know reality in this comedy-drama from director David Verbeek. Jitske (Stijn Koomen) is a professional video game competit... read more or from Belgium, living the dream of thousands of gamer geeks as he plays in top tournaments all over the world for money. Jitske has traveled to Taipei for a gaming event, but he's been having trouble with his shoulder, and after being checked out by a doctor, his coach (Tom de Hoog) takes him out of the contest and orders him to rest. Over the next few days, Jitske begins to realize that while he knows how to navigate his ways through the levels of a video game, he's not so sure how to relate to the real world, and he wonders how to handle the new and unfamiliar terrain of ordinary life. Jitske is especially keen on making a connection with a beautiful massage therapist (Ke Huan-Ru) who is helping him with his shoulder; when he discovers she's a fan of the virtual community of Second Life, he finds a place where he can gradually make his way into her world. R U There? was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi