Replica

Chouwa Liang / Australia, France, China / 2026 / Czech Premiere / 91 min.

synopsis

Chinese society, which is being driven toward ever-greater individualism and atomization, is an ideal testing ground for digital simulacra. This unsettling portrait of four women who entrust their lives to a virtual partner is a reflection of an exploding civilization of emptiness. AI companions never contradict; they are understanding, always know what to say, behave respectfully, and pay compliments. Human imperfection is the missing quality here – one that is not fulfilled even in endless conversations with chatbots or in a sterile date with a cosplay character symbolizing one’s (virtual) dream partner. The paradox of loneliness thus lies in escaping to one’s own family or attending a therapy group, which provides the missing human contact.

“My home is full of all sorts of gadgets. I like technology. People ask how I can have a relationship with a game. Who gets to decide whether an intimate relationship has to be between two human beings? He is real to me. I enjoy his presence.”

biography

Chouwa Liang (1992) is a Chinese documentary filmmaker and director living in Beijing. She graduated from the Victorian College of Arts at the University of Melbourne. The film Replica is her feature-length debut, which won the Silver Alexander Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and was screened at a number of other festivals. Her work explores aspects of intimacy and privacy in Chinese society.