Shen Man in People’s Republic of Desire (DOC NYC)

 This fast-paced yet intimate documentary will introduce many viewers to YY.com, an online platform in China that features deejay-like hosts who sing along to popular songs and talk directly to the camera. During their broadcasts, viewers can bombard the hosts with comments ranging from compliments to cruel remarks, and if they like what they see and hear, they can even buy “gifts” for the hosts to exchange later for real-world currency.

The film mainly profiles an ingenue named Shen Man, who studied to be a nurse before trying her hand at YY.com; and Big Li, a crass male comedian who mostly appeals to diaosis, a term for those considered among China’s lowest rung economically or socially. While neither Man nor Li appears particularly gifted as a singer or entertainer, both are leading contenders for the platform’s annual competition for top host and hostess, which is decided by who raises the most money.

Director Hao Wu’s canvas extends beyond the hosts to include the diaosis who support Big Li, gathering en masse and pledging to put him over the top this year, as well as the so-called kings, who spend tens of thousands of yuan per month on their favorite hosts. We also meet family members of Man and Li who reveal what living with a live-streaming star is like, including Li’s much-suffering wife, Dabao, who also works to train aspiring hostesses.

Wu explains the mechanics of both the platform and contest early on: the more viewers a host has, the more likely they are to attract kings, whose money translates into votes. As such, Li would appear to have an advantage. But just as we think that we have the rules of game figured out, the film throws a curve by introducing a new player, the talent agencies that cropped up as live streaming exploded in popularity. They turn out to be the real kingmakers, putting Man over the top while thwarting Li, who up until now has refused representation.

The People’s Republic of Desire is a lot of things, including an insider look at the pitfalls of sudden celebritydom, as Man finds herself under a level of scrutiny heretofore never experienced, which leads to the occasional live meltdowns as she fights back against nasty rumors. It’s also the tale of an underdog aiming for redemption as Li at last signs with an agency, albeit one recently founded by a supposed billionaire whose identity remains shrouded in mystery. Over the course of another year, Li hypes what he predicts will be his long-awaited victory and rallies his supporters for one more go, but with so much riding on the promises of a secretive figure, a win hardly seems assured.

Even if we aren’t exactly in love with either Man or Li, we know the stakes they are playing for. In Man’s case, she is not only supporting herself but an unemployed father as well. As for Li, he becomes something of a tragic and pitiable figure, throwing away his relationships with his wife and child and escaping into seclusion in order to invest more fully in himself.

Some of the more arresting scenes delve into the morally ambiguous situations hostesses such as Man find themselves in. During a conversation between her and Dabao, the latter reminds her that hostesses must walk a fine line between making her kings feel she is available, without actually sleeping with them or breaking up marriages; otherwise, Man’s reputation would suffer. But at the same time, we are in Man’s apartment as she fields a call from the especially wealthy patron who put her over the top the first time, and it is implied that she cannot refuse to spend time with him.

The film also never loses sight of those in the lower classes who can barely eke out a living for themselves and yet find a way to devote part of their meager earnings to their YY.com idols. The more time we spend with the likes of Man and Li, it is obvious that their problems are not nearly on the same level as the average person’s. Wu includes how much money they make, so as to make the gulf between them and their public especially clear. Man and Li earn roughly 40,000 yuan per month while a young migrant worker is lucky to cross 400 yuan performing manual labor during the same period. What is worse, those at the bottom rungs claim to be devoid of any ambitions and are content to be mindlessly entertained instead of fighting for their own glory.

At a time when Americans are more concerned than ever that social media platforms such as Facebook are exerting too much influence over people’s lives, this eye-opening film features China also grappling with the same issue.