In the past decade, a fascinating new profession has emerged in China. Mistress dispellers discreetly infiltrate marriages afflicted by infidelity and attempt to break up the affair, all while making those involved believe it was of their own accord.

While seeking out love stories for her next feature-length documentary, Hong Kong-born filmmaker and Tisch alum Elizabeth Lo discovered this phenomenon and spent three years researching before finding her central subjects: Mr. and Mrs. Li. The latter hires Teacher Wang, an experienced and charismatic mistress dispeller, after learning of her husband’s affair. The story that unfolds is gripping and shockingly intimate, and Lo’s access results in a vérité narrative, an observational style that is empathetic and without antagonism.

Ethics were top of mind for producers, but to pull off “Mistress Dispeller,” minor deception was necessary in the early stages of production.

“The husband and the mistress couldn’t have known what the film was about or Teacher Wang’s real profession,” Lo said in an interview with WSN. “They were approached to be in a documentary about modern love in China, and that’s what they had agreed to initially.”

At the end of the process, subjects had the option to reconsent to being a part of the project. If they dropped out, the filmmakers would have had to fall back on their stockpile of footage to make a significantly broader film, one based on China’s love industries like matchmaking services and dating camps.

The power of “Mistress Dispeller” comes from its streamlined focus on one dynamic. A character-driven narrative also much better serves the complex subject matter of love. The slow, meditative pacing, aided by Charlotte Munch Bengtsen’s editing, gives the audience ample time to connect with the film’s subjects.

Lo cites Chantal Akerman’s film “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” as a major inspiration.

“[It’s] a film that has these long, languid fixed-frame takes that take place in kitchens,” Lo said. “Really, the purpose is to sort of elevate women’s stories, and our domestic routines and our emotional lives.”

As cinematographer and director, Lo strikes a perfect balance between intentional camerawork and cinema vérité. The audience, and more importantly, the subjects, seem to forget the camera is present — but Lo’s vision is never compromised.

“I was trying to achieve this composed aesthetic versus the pragmatics of it, and not being interfering,” Lo said. “The stillness of that visual approach actually allowed us, on a very practical level, to be able to exit the rooms after we hit record.” 

The result is stunning symmetry and infrequent cuts, as well as subjects who are less guarded without a camera crew staring them down. This technique led to the uniquely intimate footage that makes the film exceptional.

Modern love can feel increasingly impersonal. In the era of dating apps, hiring a proxy to take on your marital issues may feel like a step in the wrong direction. But in “Mistress Dispeller,” the role of a mediator offers a tempting, unexpectedly peaceful outcome. 

There is an undeniable throughline of female alliance in “Mistress Dispeller,” which culminates in the final confrontation between Mrs. Li and the mistress, Fei Fei. Although Lo always intended for the film to include the mistress’s perspective, the idea for a direct confrontation came from the expert dispeller herself, Teacher Wang. Lo says she found it remarkable that Teacher Wang was able to forge this sense of unnatural allegiance to each other. It’s a refreshing conclusion in today’s media landscape, where women are often pitted against each other. 

Lo believes she achieved her initial goal. Her sophomore feature is a love story, albeit an unorthodox one.

“Even though it could be even kind of mundane,” she said, “we wanted to afford them, within the film itself, the same sensibility and gravitas that we afford a Jane Austen heroine. I definitely see this as a love story, about a husband and wife and a young woman, trying to figure out what kind of love they want from life.”

“Mistress Dispeller” is currently playing at the IFC Center in New York City, with a national rollout to follow.

Contact Alice Rogers at [email protected].