Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Li and well as Fei Fei, the other woman, consented to the release of Lo’s highly revealing documentary. Presumably, it helped that the Hong Kong-born Lo agreed to never screen the film in China—which was a small concession, considering the remote likelihood Mistress Dispeller would be approved for theaters in the tightly closed Mainland market.
Having secretly discovered her husband’s affair, Mrs. Li seeks out Wang on the advice of her brother, who was once on the other side of her sleuthing. Soon, Wang is charming Mr. Li in the guise of his wife’s badminton buddy. Frankly, it is a good thing Wang works as a private fidelity cop, because could easily fleece plenty of marks as a con artist.
Indeed, Wang soon has Mr. Li confessing to the affair and agreeing to arrange a meeting for her with Fei Fei, his mistress. Yet, in this case, terms like “affair” and “mistress” almost seem a bit too strong. He has clearly played sugar daddy because he is intoxicated by her youth, while she has accepted his support out of economic need—and both feel guilty about it.
In fact, all three interested parties are riddled with insecurities and neuroses. As a result, it is relatively easy for Wang to sever the affair. Instead of passionate drama, the documentary is mostly defined by gloominess and regret.
Still, as films go, Mistress Dispeller is definitely a quietly observational film, even though it is also rather talky. You won’t see a wronged wife and a home-wrecking mistress slapping each other and pulling hair, like they are characters on Dynasty. It is mostly just sad, in a very human kind of way. Interesting and perhaps instructive, but not wildly entertaining, Mistress Dispeller opens today (10/22) in New York, at the IFC Center.
