Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, the documentary “Mistress Dispeller” takes audiences deep inside one of China’s most unusual and clandestine professions: the world of “mistress dispellers,” specialists hired to break up extramarital affairs. The film, distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories, will officially open in U.S. theaters on October 22, 2025, after debuting in the UK to sold-out screenings and glowing reviews.
At the heart of the story is Mrs. Li, a woman from China’s Henan province, who discovers her husband is cheating with a younger woman. Faced with the possible collapse of her marriage, she turns to Wang Zhenxi, a professional mistress dispeller, who goes undercover in an attempt to end the affair and restore the marriage. What unfolds is a raw, emotionally complex portrait of a love triangle where loyalty, deception, and cultural values collide.
The film is produced by Emma D. Miller and Maggie Li, with Lo not only directing but also serving as cinematographer, co-editor, and co-writer. Notably, Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off the Boat) joins as an executive producer, lending global visibility to this groundbreaking project.
Lo and her team captured the events in real time, documenting the sensitive process with striking intimacy. Because deception is inherently part of the mistress dispelling method, the filmmakers faced ethical challenges, carefully balancing storytelling transparency with authenticity. As Lo explains, the husband and mistress were initially told they were participating in a film about “modern love in China,” with full disclosure coming later in production.
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“Mistress Dispeller” has already made waves on the international film festival circuit. After its Venice Film Festival premiere, where it won the Authors Under 40 Award and the Netpac Award, the documentary continued its winning streak with accolades including Best Documentary at festivals in New Orleans, Chicago, RiverRun, New Hampshire, and Sonoma. It also earned the Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary at the Denver Film Festival.
With its powerful mix of emotional storytelling, ethical dilemmas, and cultural commentary, “Mistress Dispeller” is more than a documentary about infidelity — it’s a spellbinding look at modern love in China, where private struggles are brought into the public eye through an industry few knew existed.
