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"Web Junkie"
World Documentary
*** (Three stars)
In China, teen addiction to the Internet is seen as such a threat, the country has built militarized rehab centers that lock the children up for months of "therapy." This chilling documentary from Israeli filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia takes audiences into one of these centers where the children are forced to face their addictions with harsh punishments such as solitary confinement. But it also shows a deeper problem: the teens inability to connect with their fathers and mothers in an atmosphere of strict parenting which leads to loneliness and therefore the need to find acceptance in the virtual world. An eye-opening piece of filmmaking on one country's approach to a growing issue.
— Vince Horiuchi
"Web Junkie" also screens: Tuesday at 10:00 p.m., Redstone Cinema 2, Park City; Thursday at 10:00 a.m., Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City; Friday at 9:00 p.m., Sundance Resort Screening Room, Sundance Resort; Saturday at 3:45 p.m., Temple Theatre, Park City.