MISTRESS DISPELLER

LOGLINE

Desperate to save her marriage, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair. With strikingly intimate access, Mistress Dispeller follows this unfolding family drama from all corners of a love triangle.

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.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.mistressdispellerfilm.com
Press Kit
(94 min. China/USA)

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AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

Venice Film Festival, Italy - Winner: Author Under 40 Award
Venice Film Festival, Italy - Winner: NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award
Chicago International Film Festival, USA - Winner: Gold Hugo Award for Best Documentary
CamerImage International Film Festival, Poland - Winner: Golden Frog Grand Prix for Best Documentary Feature
QCinema International Film Festival, Philippines - Winner: Best Director Award
Denver Film Festival, USA - Winner: Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary
New Hampshire Film Festival, USA - Winner: Documentary Grand Jury Award
New Orleans Film Festival, USA - Winner: Best Documentary Feature Award
Camden International Film Festival, USA - Special Mention: Harrell Award
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, USA - Special Mention: Critic’s Choice Grand Jury Award
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA - Honorable Mention: Stranger Than Fiction Film Award
CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival, Canada - Honourable Mention: Jury Award Winner
Cinema Eye Honors - Nominee: Best Direction
Cinema Eye Honors - Nominee: Best Production
Cinema Eye Honors - Nominee: Best Cinematography

PRESS QUOTES

"A spellbindingly intimate tale. Lo’s latest work solidifies that she’s one of the most exciting new voices in documentary.” – Pat Mullen, POV MAGAZINE

"A feat of intelligent, emotional filmmaking, 'Mistress Dispeller' is one of the most compelling films of the year so far, fictional or non-fictional.” – Dan Bayer, NEXT BEST PICTURE

“A [Biennale] standout.” – Fionnuala Halligan, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

“The best documentary to premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Director Elizabeth Elizabeth Lo delivers a stunner of an observational documentary that invites audiences to be a complicit conspirator in a high stakes study of a love triangle. The film’s a stunning product of perseverance and trust. The respect that Lo afforded all parties in the affair helped to deliver some of the most jaw-dropping material in a film this year. The ultimate ‘how did they shoot that?’ film of the fest." – Pat Mullen, POV MAGAZINE

“Extraordinary for both the candor of the subjects and the film’s exceptional fly-on-the-wall setup.” – John Frater, VARIETY

“Gripping and fascinatingly conceived… Lo’s level of access is extraordinary…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.” – Ryan Lattanzio, INDIEWIRE

“A delight… Exemplary. Elizabeth Lo is an unconventional director who, in recent years, has distinguished herself as one of the most important voices in the new cinema of reality.” – Lorenzo Ciofani, CINEMATOGRAFO

“Transfixing. Elizabeth Lo’s fascinating follow-up to her beloved 2020 dog doc ‘Stray’ … 'Mistress Dispeller' confirms its director’s talent for observing grander cultural currents through a highly specific lens.” – Stephen Saito, THE MOVEABLE FEST

“Elegantly haunting and strangely romantic… Lo’s triumph with ‘Mistress Dispeller,’ showing us that as far apart as our customs and cultures might be, the people that dwell in their margins are astonishingly alike… It’s fascinating to witness what Lo taps into here, building a link between China’s thriving economy and the sense of freedom (and, sometimes, unhappiness) that growth has brought to nuclear families… Mistress Dispeller' culminates in a beautiful final act, as everyone — the audience included — walks away with something rewarding and reflective." – Tomris Laffly, VARIETY

“A delicately realised examination of marriage in modern China… Lo’s patiently observed documentary displays a cinematic quality which enhances its theatrical prospects… The narrative structure is highly effective… dexterously assembled… [It] encourages the viewer to examine their own beliefs regarding fidelity and commitment… By discreetly embedding her camera in domestic and social spaces, Lo captures unguarded confessions to achieve a genuine intimacy.” – John Berra, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

"[A] fascinating documentary… A riveting exploration of a relationship on the brink… A remarkably vulnerable film… Mistress Dispeller is so shocking in how vulnerable its subjects are willing to be on screen that you can’t help but sit slack-jawed in awe at some of its most intimate scenes... It’s so bracing at times you almost expect a reveal in the credits that everyone involved is an actor, but that never comes… What Lo has captured in Mistress Dispeller is astonishing.” – Barry Levitt, THE DAILY BEAST

“Featuring remarkable access – Mistress Dispeller is a profound look at love, marriage and emotion. By the extraordinary finale… Lo’s film emerges as a unique look at human connection, and all its fragilities.” – James Mottram, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

“Extraordinary… Shockingly intimate… You might never look a love triangle the same way again. This remarkable documentary engages its audience through an earnest empathy with all three parties, and a daring openness between subject and filmmaker that is absolutely stunning.. Mistress Dispeller is gorgeous to behold… A marvel: elegantly constructed, ethically created, and thought-provokingly humane.” – Kristy Puchko, MASHABLE

“One of the most interesting works of the year… A complex and dynamic picture that brings to light the nuances and difficulties of a romantic relationship struggling with everyday life.” – Sofia Racco, NPC MAGAZINE

“Shot in such a phenomenally vibrant, elegant way that at times it is hard to imagine that each scene, each part of the story, is unfolding right then and there… A spellbinding view into modern China, and modern love.” – Nina E. Rothe, FLAUNT MAGAZINE

“A breakthrough in the portrayal of marital affairs… Its honest and out-of-the-box dissection of adult relationships captures the entire scenario of a domestic tragedy, yet it also tries to pinpoint the humane influence behind the disruptive decisions… Skillfully showcases the power of feminism in the right direction, where women stand up for themselves and help each other to claim what’s rightfully theirs.” – Niikhiil Akhiil, FILM FEST REPORT

"Mistress Dispeller is a miracle of documentary filmmaking.” – Drew Gregory, AUTOSTRADDLE

FESTIVALS TO DATE

Venice Film Festival - Italy
Toronto International Film Festival - Toronto, Canada
Zurich Film Festival - Zurich, Switzerland
DOC NYC - New York, NY
Camden International Film Festival - Maine, USA
Chicago International Film Festival - Chicago, USA
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival - Arkansas, USA
New Hampshire Film Festival - New Hampshire, USA
Philadelphia Film Festival - Philadelphia, USA
New Orleans Film Festival - New Orleans, USA
Denver Film Festival - Denver, USA
QCinema International Film Festival - Philippines
CamerImage Film Festival - Poland
Gimme Some Truth - Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada
Bainbridge Island Film Festival - Bainbridge Island, WA
San Diego Asian Film Festival - San Diego, CA
Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival - Washington, DC
SFFILM Doc Stories - San Francisco, CA
Message to Man Film Festival - St. Petersburg, Russia
El Gouna Film Festival - El Gouna, Egypt
Miami Film Festival GEMS - Miami, FL
Tokyo FilmEx - Tokyo, Japan
Gijon International Film Festival - Gijon, Spain
CamerImage - Torun, Poland
International Film Festival of India - Goa, India
CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival - Calgary, Alberta, Canada

KEY CREATIVE TEAM

Directed and produced by: Elizabeth Lo
Produced by: Emma D. Miller
Producer: Maggie Li
Director of Photography: Elizabeth Lo
Editor: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Co-editor: Elizabeth Lo
Writers: Elizabeth Lo, Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Original Music: Brian McOmber
Executive Producers: Jenny Raskin, Kelsey Koenig, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, David Levine, Dawn Olmstead, Rahdi Taylor, Davis Guggenheim, Steve Cohen, Paula Froehle
Sales: Anonymous Content / Submarine Entertainment

PUBLICITY / PRESS CONTACT:
Susan Norget Film Promotion
susan@norget.com
+917-833-3056 (WhatsApp)

SALES CONTACT:
AC Independent
bmartins@anonymouscontent.com
+1-646-565-3749
Submarine Entertainment Sales
info@submarine.com
+1-212-625-1410

GENERAL INQUIRIES / FILM FESTIVALS CONTACT:
Elizabeth Lo (director/producer)
elizabethx.lo@gmail.com