How Long Is “Black Heaven”?

A loyal man is tempted both in real life and in cyberspace in this thriller from director Gilles Marchand. Gaspard (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet) and his girlfriend Marion (Pauline Etienne) head out to Marseilles for a few weeks of sunshine and relaxation, but after spending a few hours by the pool one day, he finds a lost cell phone in the locker room. Gaspard isn't sure what he should do with the phone, and he's all the more puzzled when the phone rings and he finds himself having to help Audrey (Louise Bourgoin), an attractive but disturbed woman threatening to kill herself. Gaspard and Marion help Audrey before she can take her own life, but while Gaspard is deeply in love with Marion, he's powerfully intrigued by Audrey. Gaspard discovers Audrey is a serious fan of an on-line role playing game called Black Hole, and he begins playing too, creating a character that bears little resemblance to his own personality. The fictive Gaspard becomes all the more attracted to Audrey in the virtual environment, until he realizes she's not as benign as he first thought. L'Autre Monde (aka Black Heaven) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.