A love triangle between a middle-aged couple and a younger woman is exposed and examined from all angles when a professional matchmaker is hired in Elizabeth Lo's "Mistress Dispeller."

The Chinese-American documentary, which is being shown in Venice's Horizons section, is remarkable for both the candor of its subjects and the film's unusual, unobtrusive approach.

The film’s static opening shot, in which a woman quietly cries under a hairdryer as she gets a new haircut, sets the tone. The second scene, a dispiriting dinner scene in which the woman attempts to examine her husband’s emotional absence — he needs to be reminded of the new haircut, of course — makes the woman determined to seek outside help.

The third scene, in which the dejected woman enlists the services of one of China's many matchmakers to not only do some detective work but also to correct her discovery, concludes Act I.