Avalon (2001 Film)

, also known as ''Gate to Avalon'', is a 2001 Polish-language science fiction drama film directed by Mamoru Oshii and written by Kazunori Itō. An international co-production of Japan and Poland, the film stars Małgorzata Foremniak as Ash, a player in an illegal virtual reality video game whose sense of reality is challenged as she attempts to unravel the true nature and purpose of the game.

''Avalon'' was filmed in Wrocław, Nowa Huta, the Modlin Fortress and Warsaw. The 2009 film '' Assault Girls'', which was written and directed by Oshii, is a stand-alone sequel set in the same fictional universe as ''Avalon''.

Plot

In a near future, many are addicted to Avalon, a virtual reality shooter. In Avalon, solo players or parties raid levels populated with AI-controlled enemies and opposing players. Winners are rewarded with experience points and in-game money, which can be exchanged for cash, allowing skilled players to make a living. As their brains interact with Avalon directly, it places mental strains on players, and sometimes rendered them catatonic.

Ash, a famous player, plays solo since her party disbanded. After a Class A mission, the GM (Game Master) warns her of the next level's danger, and suggests that she join a party. The next day, a Bishop-class character break Ash's record time on the same mission. Ash tries but fails to learn about him or his avatar. As she leaves the game terminal, the Bishop player watches her.

Ash runs into former teammate Stunner. Murphy, their former leader, went after a hidden NPC in Avalon, a young girl nicknamed "ghost," and became comatose. The girl is allegedly the only gateway into the rumored ''Special A'', a mission where players cannot "reset" (a mechanic allowing people to abort mission without their avatars being killed). Players who went after "ghost" never woke up from the game and became "Unreturned". Ash and Stunner visit Murphy at a hospital, where someone looking similar to "ghost" watches her.

At home, Ash searches for words regarding Avalon, and the ghost. The search leads her to the "Nine Sisters", another Arthurian legend reference. Upon entering Avalon, Ash receives an invitation to a meeting, and is ambushed by griefers. They lured Ash there to rob her equipment. After she overpowers a player, the griefers' leader reveals that only the real ''Nine Sisters'' – Avalon's creators – know how to access ''Special A''. They are interrupted by an attack helicopter which kills most of the players. Due to a lag, its missiles teleport in front of Ash. She "resets" and leaves Avalon, saving her avatar. Returning home, Ash notices that people around her are immobile, with the exception of a dog. At home, after preparing a meal for her dog, she realizes that it disappeared. She hears the helicopter flying pass.

The next day, Stunner meets Ash. He mentions a high-level Bishop player who can make the ghost appear, and is sought out by parties seeking to enter ''Special A''. Before becoming an Unreturned, Murphy was a Bishop player. At her house, Ash is visited by the Bishop player. He offers to form a party with her and she accepts. Ash arrives at the game terminal and tells the receptionist that she plans to enter ''Special A'' to look for Murphy. Despite warnings from the receptionist and the GM, she enters the game.

There, Ash meets the Bishop player, whom she suspects is working for the ''Nine Sisters''. Stunner arrives, revealing that he was helping Bishop recruit Ash all along. The party confronts the Citadel, a boss. Stunner, Bishop and his summoned dummy players distract the Citadel, while Ash attacks its weak point. After the Citadel is destroyed, Stunner spots the ghost. He is then shot by an enemy. Before being forced out of Avalon, Stunner mentions the only way to kill the ghost. Ash kills the ghost, turning it into a gateway. Ash steps into the gateway and disappears.

Ash "wakes up" from the game booth, which is put in her apartment, wearing civilian clothing and without equipment. Bishop contacts her, saying that she is in ''Class Real''. The only way to exit Avalon is to complete the objective: defeat the Unreturned staying there. Ash takes a provided gun and proceeds to her destination, an Avalon-themed concert by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. En route, she moves through a bustling world, unlike the previous levels and the real world. At the concert hall, Ash sees Murphy, and they walk outside to talk. As she confronts Murphy about his decision to stay in the game, he states that he prefers the "reality" within Avalon. Ash mortally wounds Murphy, who urges her to stay, then disappears. Ash enters the now empty concert hall, and sees the ghost on the stage. Ash trains her gun on the ghost, who smiles.

Cast

* Małgorzata Foremniak as Ash
* Władysław Kowalski as Game Master
* as Murphy
* as Bishop
* Bartek Świderski as Stunner
* as Receptionist
* as Jill
* as Murphy of Nine Sisters
* Zuzanna Kasz as Ghost
* as Cooper (voiceover)
* as Cusinart (voiceover)
* Beszamel as Ash's Dog

Production

Even though the film was produced and directed by a Japanese crew, it is a half European, half Asian work since ''Avalon'' was co-produced by a Polish film company, starred Polish actors and was filmed mostly in Wrocław and Modlin Fortress, Poland with Polish dialogue. A Japanese dub was created, however, for the film's original Japanese release and is available on the Japanese region 2 DVD.

"Shooting it in Japan was impossible," Oshii advised interviewer Andrez Bergen in a major article that appeared in Japan's '' Daily Yomiuri'' newspaper in 2004. "I didn't think of using a Japanese cast. I considered shooting in the UK or Ireland, but the towns and scenery in Poland matched my image for the movie."

According to Oshii, one of the advantages of shooting the film in Poland was that Polish Armed Forces were willing to lend their equipment (T-72 tanks and Mi-24 attack helicopters, among others) to the film makers without any additional fees.

In Europe, ''Avalon'' was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and won awards at other European festivals: in Spain, it was awarded "Best Cinematography" at the Catalan International Film Festival (2001), and in the United Kingdom, it won the "Best Film" award at Sci-Fi-London (2002).

However, the film received only limited release in North America (with most of its fanbase created via the circulation of bootleg DVDs imported from Asia) until Miramax released it on DVD in late 2003. The North American version has added narration to make it easier for the audience to understand the plot; although the option to view the film without the English overdubbing is provided, the subtitles still display the added dialogue. The British region-free DVD has literal English subtitles which explain the King Arthur connection better and does not display added dialogue.

Such viewer help was not used in European countries, like France, where local editions only feature optional subtitles about the Polish sung opera piece, in the Polish spoken original version only.

See also

* Simulated reality

References

External links

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Nine Sisters: Avalon, a UK perspective
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{{Mamoru Oshii

2001 films
2000s science fiction drama films
2000s dystopian films
Films about video games
Japanese science fiction drama films
MF Bunko J
2000s Polish-language films
Films directed by Mamoru Oshii
Films about telepresence
Films set in the future
Cyberpunk films
Films shot in Poland
Arthurian films
Films about virtual reality
Films scored by Kenji Kawai
2000s Japanese films