Oz festival flick fails to make mockery of Second Life

We know, we're shocked that the opportunity was passed over. With one movie in the works based on a newspaper article based on a divorce, and – of course – the CSI:NY story that humorously featured Second Life like we'd never seen it before, well ... hopes of a decent cinematic treatment of Linden Lab's virtual environment were starting to look pretty low.

Enter Rachel Ward's Beautiful Kate, which aired in the Sydney Film Festival late last week and is due to air in Australia on 7 August. It's an emotional and confronting work, in which Second Life makes an interesting cameo.

While brief, the virtual environment's appearance (lag and all) in the film is as matter-of-fact as a telephone call might be in any film of the last several decades. In a film about people and their relationships, Second Life helps people keep in touch in a more immersive way than any other available communications medium.

Featuring some fine actors, a strong story, and some rather contentious elements, the film also incorporates the virtual environment briefly in a very natural way. Top marks for a thoughtful portrayal.