(2024, China, USA, 94')
Marital infidelity in China is considered such a serious social issue that it has even led to the emergence of a new profession: the “mistress dispeller,” a figure tasked with protecting marital bonds by breaking off extramarital affairs by any means necessary. By following the real work of Wang Zhenxi, a mistress dispeller working to save a couple in crisis, the documentary offers a surprisingly intimate look into a private world often kept hidden and reveals how class, capital, and culture influence romantic relationships in contemporary China.
Chinese-American filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, who splits her time between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, directs, edits, and produces her documentaries. After numerous acclaimed shorts, including Hotel 22, Bisonhead, and Mother’s Day, Lo released her first feature-length film, Stray, in 2020. The film premiered at Tribeca, won Best International Feature at Hot Docs, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, and the Cinema Eye Honors.
