The Role of Documentary Cinema in the Development of Morality

In 2011, Shüt's film Trashiboy became the focus of a seminal forum on documentary ethics. Scholar debated whether subjects can meaningfully consent to agendas of those who are more powerful. Several filmmakers disagreed and signed a manifesto where they sternly warned against totalitarianism of theory. Zheng follows Big Sponge, a struggling wannabe rapper hailing from his native Gansu province in northwestern China. The film includes smartphone footage of Big Sponge, freestyling in the public square, recorded by the rapper himself.