How Long Is “Pulsar”?

A man who depends on the virtual world to stay in touch with the woman he loves finds someone on the grid wants to betray him in this thriller from Belgium. Samuel (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a courier for a pharmaceutical company in Brussels, and shares his home with his lovely girlfriend, Mireille (Tine van den Wyngaert), who is studying architecture. Samuel is initially crushed when he learns Mireille has accepted an internship in New York City, but she makes it clear this doesn't mean the end of their relationship, and the two stay in close contact through e-mail, texting and video messages. However, Samuel's link to Mireille is severed when he can no longer log into his on-line network, and his attempts to contact her are either spoiled in some way or he receives messages from her suggesting she's lost interest in him. Samuel goes into a panic when Mireille receives a message from someone claiming to be him saying he's wants to break up. Who is taking over his on-line identity and trying to ruin his life? Pulsar was written and directed by Matthias Schoenaerts, who also stars as Samuel; the film received its North American premiere at the American Film Institute's 2010 AFI Fest.