If you thought dating was bad stateside, take comfort in knowing the odds could be so much worse.
Director Violet Du Feng set out to capture the startling disillusionment of straight men in China, where “eligible” male suitors outnumber women by 30 million. Du Feng’s Documentary “The dating game” is about a dating coach hired by a trio of bachelors to teach them how to find wives. Apparently, all it takes is an intense seven-day dating boot camp.
The official synopsis reads: “Zhou, Li and Wu are the three bachelors who embark on a seven-day dating camp, led by Hao, one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches. In their last ditch effort to find love, the bachelors laugh and bond as Hao transforms them and changing how they look and act online—and in real life.It’s all part of Hao’s signature “strategic deception,” a series of techniques designed to, allegedly, get people to hook up. Hao’s credentials? Hao successfully wooed Wen, a handsome, educated city girl—a real catch who is now his wife.”
This “strategic deception” is hilariously detailed in the above clip of the documentary, which premiered in competition as part of World Cinema documentary program at Sundance. The film debuts opening day on January 23 with more screenings throughout. “The Dating Game” is looking for distribution.
“I’ve long told stories about human connection, and I’m particularly interested in the gender divide in China,” Emmy-winning filmmaker Du Feng told IndieWire. “My last film ‘Hidden Letters’ focused on a secret women’s language, called Nushu, and the ancient roots of feminism in China. After shooting that film on the road in China, I realized I needed to explore the other side of the coin and make a film about men.In a multigenerational wake of One Child politics, I was looking for a personal narrative that would allow the audience—and me—to unpack the experiences of men.How do men deal with in China to be an acutely underpowered minority? What impact has this had on society and on each of them personally? How do they find love in the digital age?”
Du Feng continued, “I was lucky enough to find Hao, the dating coach, and his cohort of students. Their sweet, difficult, and often hilarious encounters taught me so much about how much I didn’t know.”
“The Dating Game” is a production of Fish+Bear Pictures and Violet Films, in association with Bird Street Productions, Ten Thousand Images and Chicken & Egg Pictures. It is produced by Joanna Natasegara, James Costa and Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas.
Check out the clip above; “The Dating Game” premieres Jan. 23 at Sundance.
