In a corner of Beijing, young music lover Li Eryang has turned his six-square-metre room into a refuge for anti-capitalist youth, where there's always room for one more. Friends, loved ones and the general public come to soak up its stale, revolutionary air or fill it with smoke and passionate, boundless ideals. In a heady, buzzing atmosphere, we debate, share, celebrate, and escape. This timeless utopian island unites opponents of Chinese capitalism and authoritarianism and offers them a shrine of resistance full of life and hope. Jin Jiang's film invites us onto this raft of diehards, into the heart of a bustling—sometimes excessive—microcosm, for an oppressive and intoxicating experience. (MB)

competition : International Feature Competition

Republic