Wang Zhenxi

Venice 2024: Mistress Dispeller movie review – documentary’s unique look at love in China

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Venice 2024: Mistress Dispeller movie review – documentary’s unique look at love in China

4/5 stars At the beginning of Elizabeth Lo’s absorbing and often painful-to-watch documentary, a caption informs us that in China, professionals can be hired to intervene in the midst of marital discord and break up an ongoing affair. All those featured in Mistress Dispeller, which premiered today in the Orrizonti section at the Venice Film … Read more

Mistress Dispeller, Chinese documentary at Venice 2024, sheds light on peculiar profession

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Mistress Dispeller, Chinese documentary at Venice 2024, sheds light on peculiar profession

Yet, while affairs happen all over the world, hiring professional dispellers – who can charge the equivalent of over US$10,000 – is a practice specific to mainland China. Bound by familial duty and unnerved by the enduring stigma of divorce, scorned partners, typically women, turn to dispellers as a last resort. A poster of Mistress … Read more