Latent City is an incredible MA Architecture Thesis project from Yaohua Wang. His other work is equally as sci-fi startling and has been featured in various things. The 'Beijing House' in particular, which attaches itself to buildings, is fascinating. All of his projects seem to be uniquely Chinese - highly atuned to social issues and the impact of business on life in such an accelerated nation. Latent City stands out for the depth and power of the storytelling, at times the film feels clunky, but it's revealing and original. Not only are there beautiful renders of his future city, but the graphics complement the discussion in a lively way, avoiding the usual dull infomercial voices of architecture films. In fact, if anything, the film, the city, the systems, the secret government plan, the visuals and everything are a wonderful homage to the finest Anime traditions.
