Knit's Island

People used to say, “There are worlds out there”, while gesturing to the horizon. These days, we could just as easily say, “There are worlds in there”, while gesturing to our computers. This documentary by Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse and Quentin L'Helgouac'h - shot entirely within virtual reality - takes us to one of them.

Last year Joe Hunting’s We Met in Virtual Reality explored a virtual world of socialising but the landscape encountered by the French directors - who previously stepped into gaming spaces with short Marlowe Drive - is very different. Knit’s Island is a post-Apocalyptic place in the game DayZ, where those who visit roleplay survivalism, banding together or taking others on as well as fighting the zombies which roam about the place.

As with almost any social space, real world or otherwise, the filmmakers - who spent 963 hours within the environs of the game - discover very different motivations leading people to spend time there. For some, it seems purely nihilistic. One member of a crew who call themselves Dark As Midnight, explains, “We do whatever the fuck we want. We like chaos, destruction.” They’re busy “playing” with an avatar they’ve put in a dress at the time when the documentarians - each dressed as members of a ‘press team’ complete with flak jackets - interview them. It’s absurd on one level, but also faintly disturbing.

For other people the team meet, Knit’s Island is more of a social or cultivating space - with a few added zombie killings on the side. One woman, who tends virtual vegetables, notes, “If I feed someone a zucchini, they usually don’t kill me.”

Although sometimes you long for something a bit more discursive around the edges, there’s no doubt the directors’ approach is immersive. Virtual reality spaces have come a long way and are beautifully detailed these days. There may be zombies here, but there’s also a sort of barren beauty. One visitor - who logs in alongside her husband for a spot of relaxation once the kids are in bed - notes how tranquil it can be. The couple take the filmmakers to a secret spot in the game where they can swim through the sky. The idea of it being a place of escape becomes even more apparent once the real world Covid pandemic hits and Knit’s Island offers a virtual respite from lockdown and isolation. The multiple viewpoints offered by the directors' avatars keep things visually interesting even if, the very nature of the project means

The filmmakers are to be commended on their dedication. Creating a rapport with subjects for a documentary is never an easy task but gaining trust in a virtual space is surely doubly difficult. Their commitment to the task pays off as, over the course of months they are able to drop in repeatedly with some of those they meet to see how their relationship with the game is shifting, generally more from playing to simply hanging out with people they’ve got to know from across the globe. There’s something ultimately quite optimistic and heartwarming about the fact that many people who stepped into this world to chiefly kill things, end up forging friendships instead.