For those of you on the fence about going to the screening of Daedalum Film's latest documentary, Human Flesh Search Engine, here's a fun little teaser for the film:
The menacingly-named Human Flesh Search Engine has made headlines around the world, but it remains largely misunderstood and its deeper implications unexplored. Daedalum Films examines the origins of this Chinese Internet phenomenon, dissects its most dramatic cases, and asks the question: "what can the Human Flesh Search Engine tell us about modern China?"
When: Saturday, July 18. Open house from 8pm to 11pm. Film starts at 9:30pm.
Where: CANART, Building 4 Room 1A 727 Dingxi Lu
Admission: 100RMB at the door, 80RMB presale (more info here)



It's a very interesting topic, but this trailer was pretty disappointing to say the least. I hope the documentary has more substance to it than random shots of Shanghai pedestrian traffic and silhouettes of people behind laptops.
From other stuff of theirs I've seen this seems to be their standard approach. But I guess market for this film is the easily impressed 'wow Asia has lots of people' folks back home, so no reason to break up the formula by being creative. It's like how every book or magazine article on China up to a few years ago had to have pic of a man on bike cycling past a billboard with a western brand or model on it. Yawn. Try harder people.
This looks slow, tedious and painful.