Mistress Dispeller

So suppose you find out that your husband is cheating on you – what do you do? If you’re a disgruntled wife living in China, you might want to consider hiring a “mistress dispeller,” a sort of “marriage fixer” who employs an unconventional combination of counseling and skillful clandestine manipulation to urge an unfaithful man to turn away from his philandering and return to a life of fidelity, essentially a “whatever it takes” approach. The methods used is this newly emerging profession may seem rather sneaky – if not unethical – in some respects, but, if it provides the parties in question with valuable advice and, in turn, manages to save what has been an otherwise-stable partnership, should its merits be automatically ruled out of hand? That’s one of the key considerations examined in this surprisingly intimate documentary from writer-director Elizabeth Lo. When middle-aged Mrs. Li begins to suspect that Mr. Li may be having an affair with a younger woman, she’s initially dumbstruck, not to mention profoundly hurt and suitably furious, by his actions. She’s convinced that her marriage is over, but is it? When her younger brother recommends that she consult with Wang Zhenxi, a professional mistress dispeller, to see if she can restore their marriage, Mrs. Li decides to give it a try. Working with both spouses and, eventually, the mistress, Fei Fei, “Teacher Wang” steers the parties in the desired direction of helping each of them get in touch with the feelings driving their actions. Teacher Wang’s work addresses the scenario from several angles, including psychology, cultural expectations, and the widespread sense of isolation and disaffection impacting many individuals and couples in modern-day China. In that regard, the film broadens the view behind what prompts infidelity among Chinese adults, concerns that the dispeller works into her counseling efforts to encourage couples to save their relationships and to help make third parties aware that becoming involv...