Wealthy patrons often pay thousands of dollars to support them while poor people pay small amounts to watch as they yearn to connect to their favorite star's fame and celebrity. It is kind of like a type of mostly not sexual prostitution where people are selling dreams and fantasies to those who are willing to pay. It is a bizarre pay-to-play form of online American Idol competition. The film follows the lives of a young male comedian and a young female singer who have become stars in China's world of live streaming where people are making immense amounts of money by marketing their often-meagre talents in ways that get thousands of fans to send them gifts and pay money to vote for them in competitions. People's Republic of Desire was well-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary Feature Competition. Reviewed by JustCuriosity 9 / 10 A Beautiful Documentary about the bizarre phenomenon of Chinese Live Streaming For a generation that spends most of its waking life online their present-day obsession has quickly spread to the U.S., South Korea and beyond.ĭefinitely worth seeing when it makes its week-long run in NYC and LA this November. As any great documentary does (the film won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize), that view is honest and engaging throughout. With footage of their day-to-day frustrations, Hao Wu drops the veneer of fame and reveals the raw, and often times emotional weight of the strivers, the viewers, and those who have "made it." Happiness eludes them all.Īs commentary, without the usual heavy dose of preaching, "The People's Republic of Desire" opens up a world most outside of China will never see.
Live streamers, like movie stars and performers anywhere in the world, struggle off stage with self doubt and the pressures of keeping their fans engaged (and paying). Hao Wu's second film, detailing the online world of live streaming where amateur stars make millions, fans spend their hard earned money giving virtual gifts, and the mega rich pick the winners, is at times touching, sad, and provocative. There are few documentaries about China that immerse the viewer without judgement. Reviewed by brianklein-31372 10 / 10 Together Alone - How a Country of Over 1 Billion Finds Community Online, with Cash We also meet their families, those managing the. The film follows three young characters - a singer, a comedian, and a migrant worker - as they search for fame, fortune and human connection in live streaming. Their fans include China's super rich, who each night lavish virtual gifts on their favorite performers (40% of the money paid for these gifts go to the performers), and the dirt poor, many of them migrant workers in urban areas searching for a cheap way to be entertained, to feel connected. People's Republic of Desire provides a vérité journey into this digital universe, where young performers earn as much as US$150,000 a month singing, dancing or doing talk shows to live, interactive audiences of tens of thousands. Here, live streaming has become the most popular online entertainment for hundreds of millions. As an entire generation has come of age on social media, virtual relationships are slowly replacing real-life human connections.