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Director Hao Wu explores China's burgeoning world of virtual relationships and live streaming idols in this SXSW-winning documentary.
In a digital...
Director Hao Wu explores China's burgeoning world of virtual relationships and live streaming idols in this SXSW-winning documentary.
In a digital universe where live streamers earn as much as $200K a month, can virtual relationships replace real-life human connection? People's Republic of Desire tells the stories of two such online stars who've risen from isolation to fame and fortune in China. The film takes us on a vérité journey through their live streaming showrooms, which have become virtual gathering places for hundreds of millions - from the super rich who lavish performers with digital gifts, to poor migrant workers who worship them. The characters are brought together in a series of bizarre online idol competitions, where they discover that happiness in their virtual world may be as elusive as in the real one.
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Where to watch People's Republic of Desire
97 %32 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
77 %198 reviewsAudience score rating
"Documentarian Hao Wu examines a unique form of digital interaction in contemporary China."
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Variety
Variety"You don't wait for what comes next in "People's Republic of Desire" as much as you watch and wonder why any of it is happening."
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The New York Times
The New York Times"The ability of "People's Republic of Desire" to show these familiar desires playing out in futuristic surroundings is invariably surprising and never less than compelling."
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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times"A revealing examination of contemporary Chinese Internet culture."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood ReporterPeople's Republic of Desire | Details
Award winner- Winner of the Grand Jury Award for Documentary, 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival
- Runtime
- 95
- Genre
- Documentary
- Country of origin
- China
