X
  • 2018
  • Torch Films
  • 1 h 35 m
  • 2018
  • Torch Films
  • 1 h 35 m

Summary 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 showroo...

Directed By: Hao Wu

  • 2018
  • Torch Films
  • 1 h 35 m
  • 2018
  • Torch Films
  • 1 h 35 m

People's Republic of Desire

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
77
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary 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 showroo...

Directed By: Hao Wu

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
77
100% Positive
13 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
77
100% Positive
13 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
Nov 30, 2018
Wu takes an observational, matter of fact stance to these different lives and this overall enterprise, reminiscent of how Kyoko Miyake took us through the looking glass of Japan’s idol culture in “Tokyo Idols,” another doc on a similar sociological beat that would make for a great double feature or essay.
By Nick Allen FULL REVIEW
85
Nov 29, 2018
The People’s Republic of Desire is a psychological treatise on self-worth, and the lab rats are the citizens of China.
By Alan Ng FULL REVIEW
83
Mar 16, 2018
Tragic and terrifying in equal measure, Wu’s intimate portrait of China’s live-streaming culture uses one country’s recent past as a dark portal into our collective future, sketching a world in which even the most basic pleasures of human connection can only be experienced vicariously.
By David Ehrlich FULL REVIEW
80
Mar 16, 2018
People’s Republic of Desire is provocative and unsettling as it brings us on a guided tour through the digital marketplace for something resembling human contact.
By Joe Leydon FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 27, 2018
It’s wacky. You scratch your head at the training ground, a veritable digital brothel (quite chaste) where aspiring hostesses learn the art. You wonder who on Earth would spend money for “gifts” that impress these young women (and young men), and are also meant to impress their fellow “fans” with how “rich” you are.
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
70
Nov 29, 2018
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. That sensation arises often in this canny documentary about a baffling topic.
By Ken Jaworowski FULL REVIEW
67
Dec 12, 2018
The internet is infinite. So, too, are the ways it can breed creepy behavior and new opportunities to commodify human connection. People’s Republic of Desire explores only a tiny swath of the internet of grossness, but it’s a subject so epic it deserves much longer examining than a quick 95 minutes affords.
By Kimberley Jones FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Release Date Nov 30, 2018
Duration 1 h 35 m
Genres
Tagline What Will You Find if You Pin All Your Hopes Online?
View All Details

Awards

SXSW Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Documentary Edge Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hawaii International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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