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The Dating Game

World Cinema Documentary Competition

In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love.

Dating coach Hao’s signature method, “strategic deception,” is built on surface-level ideas about image and status that he believes will attract women. Being yourself is not an option if you’re considered too nerdy, old, or poor. Meanwhile, his wife, Wen, a dating coach herself, focuses on boosting her female clients’ self-esteem and disapproves of Hao’s makeovers and questionable teachings. Unsurprisingly, such differences of opinion can cause friction — the irony of two relationship experts struggling to relate to each other.

The Dating Game is both entertaining and deeply nuanced. Director Violet Du Feng skillfully navigates themes of loneliness, self-worth, and social desirability with humor and empathy. By weaving personal stories into a broader narrative, she connects the one-child policy, societal pressures, and shifting gender norms in a thoughtful and compelling way.

Run time: 92 minutes

Language: Mandarin with English subtitles