Elizabeth Lo’s documentary Mistress Dispeller is now streaming exclusively on the Criterion Channel.

The film follows Wang Zhenxi, a professional “mistress dispeller” hired to preserve marriages by breaking up extramarital affairs — a growing industry in China. With rare, intimate access, the documentary observes a real marital crisis unfold as Wang works to steer a couple back from collapse.

As loyalties shift between husband, wife, and mistress, Mistress Dispeller explores how emotion, pragmatism, and cultural expectations shape modern relationships. Critics have described the film as both haunting and unexpectedly tender.

Mistress Dispeller is available now on the Criterion Channel.