The real thing – VR
This virtual reality documentary explores three "urban simulacra" located on the outskirts of Shanghai, inspired by Paris, Venice, and London. Their residents take us through neighborhoods that are both artificial and alive, familiar yet deceptive.
This architectural journey is also a sensory experience. To grasp the essence of these places and overcome the unsettling feelings they evoke, we must discover the truth in the fake, and the fake in the truth...
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)Documentaire Genre en anglaisSociety & Economy Written and directed byBenoit Felici, Mathias Chelebourg In coproduction with DVgroupSupported by CNC Broadcasted by ARTE France Year2018Duration16min
Press coverage
A remarkable experience, filled with captivating poetry. An absolute favorite!
Cinématraque
There is something deeply unsettling about these habitable tourist attractions, as if the horizon of modernity is to spare us the effort of travel by constructing the foreign at home. The film cleverly uses its medium to question the boundaries between the real and the fake, the actual and the virtual, employing its techniques with intelligence and without pretension.
Les Cahiers du Cinéma
The Real-Thing is an enchanting film centered around the Chinese cities of Suzhou and Tiandu Cheng, where replicas of famous European monuments can be found—including the canals of Venice, London’s Tower Bridge, and the Eiffel Tower. These surreal 360-degree journeys through these cities are accompanied by the vivid stories of the people who reside there, such as the photographer who imagines living in a 'real' European city while photographing Chinese couples in wedding attire.
The Guardian
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