1
00:00:01,034 --> 00:00:02,469
- Welcome to POV.
2
00:00:02,536 --> 00:00:06,173
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS
Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
3
00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:07,708
Tonight, we bring you a film
4
00:00:07,774 --> 00:00:11,178
Variety says tackles China's
gender divide and romance
5
00:00:11,245 --> 00:00:12,779
in the digital age.
6
00:00:12,846 --> 00:00:14,448
How's that for a combination?
7
00:00:14,515 --> 00:00:16,817
The Dating Game
follows three young Chinese men
8
00:00:16,884 --> 00:00:19,119
who struggle to find love
and companionship
9
00:00:19,186 --> 00:00:21,989
in China's ultra-competitive
dating market.
10
00:00:22,055 --> 00:00:26,593
In 1979, China enacted the
controversial one-child policy
11
00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:28,662
in order to combat
overpopulation
12
00:00:28,729 --> 00:00:30,430
due to fear of famine.
13
00:00:30,497 --> 00:00:31,598
The order may have stunted
14
00:00:31,665 --> 00:00:34,201
the country's massive
overpopulation growth,
15
00:00:34,268 --> 00:00:36,803
but left China
with a socioeconomic crisis
16
00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:39,540
and a serious gender imbalance.
17
00:00:39,606 --> 00:00:42,976
Today, there are 30 million
more men than women in China,
18
00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:45,212
and 18 million more men
than women
19
00:00:45,279 --> 00:00:47,314
between the ages of 20 and 40,
20
00:00:47,381 --> 00:00:49,316
or the age people typically
think about
21
00:00:49,383 --> 00:00:51,485
meeting a potential spouse.
22
00:00:51,552 --> 00:00:55,589
The policy ended in 2015
thanks to a workforce shortage.
23
00:00:55,656 --> 00:00:56,757
To this day, however,
24
00:00:56,823 --> 00:00:58,425
the country is still dealing
with the aftermath
25
00:00:58,492 --> 00:01:00,494
of the one-child policy.
26
00:01:00,561 --> 00:01:03,330
The results have also created
a loneliness epidemic
27
00:01:03,397 --> 00:01:04,932
for young men.
28
00:01:04,998 --> 00:01:07,868
Director Violet Du Feng set out
to explore the issue
29
00:01:07,935 --> 00:01:10,037
by following three bachelors
30
00:01:10,103 --> 00:01:12,206
who join an intense,
week-long dating camp
31
00:01:12,272 --> 00:01:15,409
run by a married couple
who are also dating coaches,
32
00:01:15,475 --> 00:01:17,377
Hao and his wife Wen.
33
00:01:17,778 --> 00:01:20,080
Du Feng says she was fascinated
by Hao
34
00:01:20,147 --> 00:01:22,015
and his push and pull technique,
35
00:01:22,082 --> 00:01:24,718
which encourages a young man
to compliment a woman,
36
00:01:24,785 --> 00:01:26,887
but in the same breath,
insult her,
37
00:01:26,954 --> 00:01:28,055
saying things like,
38
00:01:28,121 --> 00:01:30,624
"You're pretty,
but you dress like a grandma."
39
00:01:30,691 --> 00:01:31,925
The boys follow his advice
40
00:01:31,992 --> 00:01:34,528
because they have not had much
interaction with women
41
00:01:34,595 --> 00:01:37,264
due to their rural
or lower class backgrounds.
42
00:01:37,331 --> 00:01:40,934
Du Feng was fascinated by how
vulnerable these young men are
43
00:01:41,001 --> 00:01:42,703
and the influences they've had
44
00:01:42,769 --> 00:01:44,938
that have led them to this point
in their lives,
45
00:01:45,005 --> 00:01:47,441
and just how profound
their lack of confidence is
46
00:01:47,508 --> 00:01:49,476
when it comes to women.
47
00:01:49,543 --> 00:01:52,880
Du Feng is New York City-based
and originally from Shanghai.
48
00:01:52,946 --> 00:01:56,250
She is an award-winning
filmmaker and very prolific.
49
00:01:56,316 --> 00:02:00,254
Her 2024 film Hidden Letters
was screened by Independent Lens
50
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,623
and won 11 film festival awards,
51
00:02:02,689 --> 00:02:04,057
and over the course
of her career,
52
00:02:04,124 --> 00:02:06,393
she's won an Emmy award
and a Peabody,
53
00:02:06,460 --> 00:02:08,061
and has had her films
shortlisted
54
00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:10,330
for Oscar consideration.
55
00:02:10,397 --> 00:02:13,734
Du Feng's films typically focus
on stories about social change,
56
00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:15,169
particularly in China,
57
00:02:15,235 --> 00:02:17,004
frequently using
personal stories
58
00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:20,240
and oftentimes with an emphasis
on gender, family,
59
00:02:20,307 --> 00:02:23,844
and/or cultural change
through generations.
60
00:02:23,911 --> 00:02:25,012
In a recent interview,
61
00:02:25,078 --> 00:02:26,847
the director said
that she does not feel confident
62
00:02:26,914 --> 00:02:29,449
for the future of men
like her three subjects,
63
00:02:29,516 --> 00:02:31,451
given who is leading them.
64
00:02:31,518 --> 00:02:34,721
But to do her part and maybe
as a thank-you to her actors,
65
00:02:34,788 --> 00:02:37,257
Du Feng added a clip
at the end of the movie
66
00:02:37,324 --> 00:02:40,661
allowing the guys to say
they have not found love yet,
67
00:02:40,727 --> 00:02:43,297
then let them post
their QR codes.
68
00:02:43,363 --> 00:02:45,399
Watching the reactions
from the responses they get
69
00:02:45,465 --> 00:02:49,002
from all over the world
is priceless.
70
00:02:49,069 --> 00:02:52,606
Maybe they will actually find
love thanks to Violet Du Feng.
71
00:02:52,673 --> 00:02:55,609
The Dating Game starts now
on PBS Wisconsin,
72
00:02:55,676 --> 00:02:58,679
your home for independent film.