Duanju: tragedy in a mobile format

From the Greek amphitheater to vertical screens, the play of human passions always finds its stage!

In ancient times, Aristotle described the theater as a place where spectators came to purge their passions: to confront tragedy, fear, and desire, only to emerge feeling lighter, freed from their torments. Today, this mirror of our emotions has moved to the vertical screens of our smartphones. The duanju , immersive mini-series, seem to have inherited, in their own way, this cathartic function.

Duanju 's directors also know how to wield timeless dramatic devices: unspeakable secrets, burning betrayals, intimate power games, family or romantic scandals. Each episode propels us into intrigues where our own frustrations, unfulfilled desires, romantic fantasies, or dreamed revenges find an outlet.

The short format and fast pace reinforce this emotional closeness. Everything is designed to make the audience identify with the characters, to experience through them what they wouldn't always dare say or do in reality.

If ancient theater was the site of tragedy and collective catharsis, duanju offers an intimate, solitary, and digital catharsis, consumed over the course of a coffee break or a subway ride. It's a new form of emotional ritual, adapted to our busy times, but still drawn to the dramas we can experience vicariously.

Article written by Maëlle Billant

Editor for Duanju.fr, lawyer by profession [Linkedin], and podcaster [YouTube]