Life Imitation, the first non-fiction feature film by Chinese video artist Chen Zhou, combines real life with a virtual computer game. Along with the game, in which a female killer wanders the streets of Los Angeles on a dark night, we see different episodes of young people's lives in Shanghai, revealing the way they carry out their social roles in this metropolis and how they deal with ubiquitous screens and new technology. How do they relate to others in this hyper-mediated world, and how expansive is their loneliness?

Diverse responses to issues about society, sex, art and anxiety from primarily young women in China determine the hypnotic, dreamlike rhythm of the film.