We Met in Virtual Reality

2022

1 hr. 31 min.

Documentary

Animation

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List

94%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Filmed entirely inside the world of virtual reality (VR), this immersive and revealing documentary roots itself in several unique communities within VR Chat, a burgeoning virtual reality platform. Through observational scenes captured in real-time, in true documentary style, the film reveals the growing power and intimacy of several relationships formed in the virtual world, many of which began during the COVID-19 lockdown while so many in the physical world were facing intense isolation. Although remaining wholly within the VR domain of avatars and imagined worlds, the film has elements of humor, serendipitous interactions and unexpected events that characterize real life. WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY tenderly documents the stories of people experiencing love, loss and unexpected connection, expressing vulnerability around mental health struggles and questions about identity, offering a hyper-real journey into the human experience of an online world that may soon shape the future.

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Critics Consensus

We Met in Virtual Reality takes a visually striking approach to its investigation of human interactions on the VR plane, with surprisingly poignant results.

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Audience Member

What a fascinating project. We Met in VR works better as a piece of history than an actual movie I think. What I mean is that it so successfully captures a niche community at a moment in time (early pandemic) that will most likely never be repeated again in our lifetime, but very often fails to be entertaining. "Filmed" entirely in the PC game VRChat, this is some of the most novel documentary film-making I've ever seen, and while this is a one of a kind piece of work, from an outsider's perspective, the only moments that really work for me are its some of its more traditional emotional scenes set to its beautifully minimalistic score. Any attempt at comedy are lost in the sheer bizarreness of the subject matter. This lack of emotional variety seemed a little reflective of the people represented who play the game as depression, malaise, and social anxiety seem to be the glue that binds many of them together. I'd be interested in the perspective of someone who uses VRChat regularly, but I think We Met in VR's biggest challenge was representing its subjects as more nuanced than the state of their mental health. I think it mostly gets there, but not all the way - especially for your average viewer who will assuredly watch this with a very skeptical eye.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Garbage, super cringe community shown here, 0/10 if I could give it a lower score I would. I would also do an in depth review but it would be difficult typing it with one hand, I'm typing this with a shotgun in my mouth.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

Full Review

tom r

Ignore the kids who give this movie half-star reviews because they are incapable of empathizing with the idea of finding happiness over the internet. An incredibly human film that highlights a charming group of people as they explore how they found their homes within the virtual space.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

this was a really brilliant project. Its an aspect of reality media. It has a translucent and ethereal quality that is unlike any Camera shot movie of the real world and any animated movie. And that texture is completely fitting for the subject. The jumpiness of the images actually fits the personal glimpses you are getting of the people behind the avatars. It's different from anything else and the concept is brilliant. I get why audience did not rate it that highly. If you are looking for Incredibles or How to Train Your Dragon, this ain't it. For something that is made entirely of unreal images, this is a lot more heartfelt and real than any other reality TV format. If you accept it's format and listen, then it is worth the experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

as someone who plays VRchat, while it was interesting seeing what these people have to say, and learning about their stories was intriguing, it just isn't a great documentary. Sure these people are asked questions which they answer, but at no point do we hear the interviewer or see him. The creator of this documentary is completely non existent here- this is basically just raw footage of Vrchat. I was hoping to see some stats and Info about Vr and Vrchat, maybe a discussion on the downsides and upsides of VR and the possibilities maybe, or even just explaining what the heck Vrchat is and what we're seeing on screen, but theres just none of that. I could hop into Vrchat and have the same exact experience basically, shame.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Ian M

Some people that play VRChat will say this does not represent the game fully. This is not trying to do that, it looks at the specifics of some people in the game and how VR affected those people positively. I have one issue, this does not express the problems with people being eternally online. And also, this does not explain VRChat well to anyone. If anyone I know decided to watch this, they would be so confused. Why is everyone an anime girl with ears and a tail? This documentary just goes along expecting you to know what's going on. If I were your average HBO viewer, I probably would just dismiss it because it looks really weird.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/22

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We Met in Virtual Reality: Trailer 1

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Peter Debruge

Variety

“We Met in Virtual Reality” is a warmhearted, often humorous look at the sociology of such spaces.

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

The character designs and backdrops are amazingly imaginative; and though the movements and rendering are often glitchy, that only adds to the charm of the residents’ casual conversations.

Jul 31, 2022

Full Review

Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

It’s a heady, life-affirming VR journey, with special moments as well as melancholic ones.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 28, 2022

Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

In a world that's increasingly digitized, Hunting invites us to reflect upon the impact that technology has in our human relationships. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Sep 8, 2023

Full Review

Dan Schindel

Hyperallergic

"We Met in Virtual Reality" raises the bar for VR filmmaking, and has an optimistic vision for the potential of the metaverse.

Nov 10, 2022

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Margot Harrison

Seven Days (VT)

We Met in Virtual Reality is as immersive as VR itself. Rather than delivering an introduction to VRChat for newbies, Hunting sums up the nature of the platform in a single screen caption and tosses us into it.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 20, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmed entirely inside the world of virtual reality (VR), this immersive and revealing documentary roots itself in several unique communities within VR Chat, a burgeoning virtual reality platform. Through observational scenes captured in real-time, in true documentary style, the film reveals the growing power and intimacy of several relationships formed in the virtual world, many of which began during the COVID-19 lockdown while so many in the physical world were facing intense isolation. Although remaining wholly within the VR domain of avatars and imagined worlds, the film has elements of humor, serendipitous interactions and unexpected events that characterize real life. WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY tenderly documents the stories of people experiencing love, loss and unexpected connection, expressing vulnerability around mental health struggles and questions about identity, offering a hyper-real journey into the human experience of an online world that may soon shape the future.

Director: Joe Hunting
Executive Producer: Charlotte Cook, Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser
Screenwriter: Joe Hunting, Joe Hunting
Production Co: XTR, Painted Clouds Ltd, Field of Vision, Cinetic Media
Genre: Documentary, Animation
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 2022

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