China / Singapore 2023, 107 min, English and Chinese, Hebrew & English subtitles
The “Republic” is a shelter for lost children, a cave-like hub for a subculture, and a cramped 6-square-meter apartment that serves as a bedroom, living room, and kitchen all at once. It is also the headquarters for the “Revolutionary Council of Cosmic Bros.” Eryang Lee is a twenty-something who lives for his lofty ideals: hippie liberation, Maoist communism, and universal humanism. As he spends his days getting high for hours and fiercely consuming music that ranges from Dylan and Pink Floyd to Bowie and edgy trance tracks, he oscillates between sublime influences gleaned from texts and conversations, and the inevitable awakening to the fact that very soon, somebody is going to pull the plug on him. The camera gets incredibly close to Eryang and his friends, allowing us into the everything-and-nothing of a tiny, subversive, alternative underground universe.
Previous Festivals: Berlinale, Cinema Du Reel
Across the Universe International Competition The Cinematic Edge youth