Pulse

“Something’s definitely not right,” says a character in Pulse. That’s an understatement. This film contains a chilling blend of ghosts, multiple suicides, a computer virus, mass disappearances, and the apocalypse. If the story offers little more than a cursory explanation of how these factors are linked, a brief scene about a student’s screensaver at least hints at how to unlock the film’s central theme: Several white dots move around a black screen. A college student explains, “If the dots get too close, they die. But if they get too far apart, they’re drawn close.” She calls it “a miniature model of our world.” Indeed, people strive to be emotionally available for social connection, yet they often resist engaging with the world, instead choosing to retreat into a virtual space. This internal conflict stems from a contradiction, a desire to associate with others, coupled with an urge to withdraw—a dynamic that suggests the burden of loneliness is overwhelming and unresolvable. “People don’t really connect,” remarks the student. “We all live totally separately. That’s how it seems to me.” Technology only amplifies the problem, leaving people to float through life like ghosts, disconnected from their lives and any real sense of human contact. 

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