Introducing: A Dutiful Wife
20 December 2020
“I had a dream that I couldn’t forget,” recounts director Haolu Wang, describing her time at the short film festival in Palm Springs last June. “I dreamt that my husband was murdered. The whole time I had this dreadful feeling that I was the very person that killed him, except I couldn’t remember how and why.
I woke up from the nightmare with a cold sweat. I didn’t understand it.” Haolu – a graduate of the National Film and Television School in London and a Berlinale Talents alumna – couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare and the feelings it brought up in her, so began working on a film. “Images and sounds started coming to me, gradually weaving together this story. I told my producer Ying about this idea about a year ago in Beijing, and we started working on the script this year.”
Ying’s admiration of Haolu’s previous work brought the two together. “I liked Haolu’s first short film so much and said to myself I have to get to know this talented and sensitive woman” says Ying, who is a prolific producer with a lengthy history at IFFR. Three films she was involved in were selected for IFFR 2020, including Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Balloon, and Damp Season, all films that inspired the label ‘Southern Wave’ for the outstanding filmmaking emerging from South China. The two realised how much they had in common based on traditional upbringings in urban China but with formative periods spent in Europe. “The cultural shock pushed us into further reflections on ethical and gender identity,” says Ying.
Gender identity and the issue of womanhood are the focus of A Dutiful Wife which follows a psychiatrist who attempts to hide the fact that her abusive husband had been trapped in her closet, until he escapes and she finds the courage to follow him. Ying was instantly attracted to the project: “When Haolu mentioned her idea of making a story about a woman breaking rules who then frees herself, I said this is what we’re missing in Chinese cinema, and exactly what I want to make.” A film about women, made by women, is rare in this new wave according to Ying, who wants to redress the balance. “As a bonus, this is a genre film, a psychological thriller open to wider audiences – which producer won’t like this story?”
Ying acknowledges IFFR’s role as a landing zone and point of contact for emerging Chinese filmmaking and sees it as a vital event for young talent. “IFFR has the most open-minded and tender audiences from all over the world,” she says. “I think it’s very important for Chinese directors to show their work there, in the Netherlands – a country with a totally different language and culture. Young directors are so eager to meet with international audiences and hear feedback on their first films.” Haolu regrets that she won’t be able to present her project in person, but currently based in a bleak lockdown London, she is grateful to have the opportunity nonetheless. “I cannot wait to connect with film industry professionals, even virtually,” she says. “I’m embracing the online edition and counting down the days till we can all be at a physical film festival event again!”
