I clicked play expecting a quick AI demo. Instead I got chills. The original poster turned an ancient Chinese legend into a short film, and it hit me right in the chest.
Here’s what pulled me in. This LinkedIn creator built an AI short film called Three Evils (三害), retelling a story from 3rd-century China. The whole thing pairs a timeless lesson about self-change with some of the newest AI tools out there. I was genuinely impressed by how well the old and the new fit together.
The legend behind the film
The story is Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils (周处除三害). As the author lays it out, it goes like this:
- The first evil was a tiger terrorizing the region.
- The second evil was a crocodile in the river.
- Zhou Chu hunted them both, and vanished while tracking the crocodile.
Then comes the twist. When people started celebrating his presumed death, Zhou Chu realized the third evil was himself, the bully everyone feared and hated. So he visited a master, walked away inspired, and set out to remake himself. And he actually did it.
Hear the truth at dawn, mend your ways by dusk. Fear only that you never set your will. Who told you you couldn’t?
The post’s author connects this to the theme of Shamane Tan’s book, Who Told You You Couldn’t. That question sits at the heart of the whole piece, and it lingers.
The AI tools that made it happen
This is the part I keep coming back to. The creator didn’t just write about the story, they produced a full film with a stack of AI tools. Here’s the breakdown:
- Video: generated with the latest Seedance 2.5
- Images: made using GPT-Image-2 and Nano Banana
- Music: composed with ElevenLabs
Think about that for a second. One person, a handful of tools, and a complete short film with visuals and a soundtrack. A few years ago this would have needed a whole studio and a real budget. Now this innovator pulled it off solo.
Why this matters for you
You don’t need to be a filmmaker to take something from this. The bigger point the author makes is about the story itself, and it still holds up today.
So many of us are stuck in the middle of rapid change and uncertainty right now. The AI wave alone has plenty of people questioning what comes next. And that’s exactly where Zhou Chu’s lesson lands. The hardest evil to face is usually the one staring back at us.
A few ways I’d apply the takeaway:
- Spot your own “third evil,” the habit or blind spot you keep avoiding.
- Find your version of the master, a mentor, a book, a course that shifts your thinking.
- Take the first real step instead of waiting for the perfect moment.
The creative angle matters too. If you’ve been curious about AI video and image tools, this film is proof of what a single person can build now. You could tell your family history, illustrate a favorite fable, or bring a brand story to life, all with tools that already exist.
Where there is a will, you can become a different you.
That line stuck with me long after the video ended. Old story, new tools, same truth.
Go watch the full film and read the creator’s write-up on LinkedIn. It’s worth a few minutes of your day.