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Mistress Dispeller

2024 1h 34m Documentary List
100% Tomatometer 10 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
In China, a new industry has emerged devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity. Wang Zhenxi is part of this growing profession, a "mistress dispeller" who is hired to maintain the bonds of marriage -- and break up affairs -- by any means necessary. Offering strikingly intimate access to private dramas usually hidden behind closed doors, Mistress Dispeller follows a real, unfolding case of infidelity as Teacher Wang attempts to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. Their story shifts our sympathies between husband, wife and mistress to explore the ways emotion, pragmatism and cultural norms collide to shape romantic relationships in contemporary China.

Critics Reviews

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Kristy Puchko Mashable Mistress Dispeller is a marvel: elegantly constructed, ethically created, and thought-provokingly humane. Sep 19, 2024 Full Review Ryan Lattanzio indieWire This level of intimacy and access is rare in any nonfiction film, guiding “Mistress Dispeller” toward a profound and searching panorama of loneliness and partnership, where everyone gets a chance to be heard. Rated: B+ Sep 5, 2024 Full Review Tomris Laffly Variety Modest, melancholic and strangely romantic, the 'Stray' director's new documentary portrays China’s booming 'love industry' through intimate character studies within a love triangle. Sep 3, 2024 Full Review Audrey Fox Audrey Fox Reviews Mistress Dispeller is a fascinating look at the outsourcing of emotional labor required to maintain relationships, one that speaks to an overwhelming desire to keep up appearances. Sep 23, 2024 Full Review Pat Mullen POV Magazine a spellbindingly intimate tale. Sep 18, 2024 Full Review Dan Bayer Next Best Picture A feat of intelligent, emotional filmmaking, “Mistress Dispeller” is one of the most compelling films of the year so far, fictional or non-fictional. Rated: 8/10 Sep 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

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Movie Info

Synopsis In China, a new industry has emerged devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity. Wang Zhenxi is part of this growing profession, a "mistress dispeller" who is hired to maintain the bonds of marriage -- and break up affairs -- by any means necessary. Offering strikingly intimate access to private dramas usually hidden behind closed doors, Mistress Dispeller follows a real, unfolding case of infidelity as Teacher Wang attempts to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. Their story shifts our sympathies between husband, wife and mistress to explore the ways emotion, pragmatism and cultural norms collide to shape romantic relationships in contemporary China.
Director
Elizabeth Lo
Producer
Emma D. Miller, Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li
Screenwriter
Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Elizabeth Lo
Production Co
Marcona Media, After Argos Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Chinese
Runtime
1h 34m