TRIBECA 2019 REVIEWS: Shosh Shlam’s & Hilla Medalia’s excellent LEFTOVER WOMEN looks at how the Chinese “force” women to marry

There seems to be no end to the variation on this planet in how women are subjugated my male culture. Here in America, we see our own struggles as misogyny is being challenged in ever more vigorous ways. And those who support this struggle might want to assume that in all modern economies, the trends are going towards greater gender equality. But they would be wrong. In co-directors Shosh Shlam’s & Hilla Medalia’s excellent feature documentary, Leftover Women, we get a glimpse of a peculiarly insidious form of institutional female discrimination, all in the guise of “being helpful.” And audiences will be forgiven if they believe they are watching an episode of Black Mirror. The premise of this story is too crazy and creepy to be true – but it is, and it’s happening right now in China. And somehow, the way the film was shot seems to almost make the camera invisible to its subjects. So much so in fact, it often feels more like a narrative than a doc, making it that much more impactful.

The historical background for the tale is critical. Due to China’s misguided “one child policy” (a decades-long attempt at population control limiting couples to having a solitary offspring), there is a gender imbalance in the country. The consequence of the policy is that the country now has 30 million more men than women. There are government-ordained dating services which compel women to make sure that as many of these men as possible get married. There are both official policies and cultural mores meant to shame women who are not compliant in this endeavor. If you’re a woman and over 30 and unmarried – you are referred to as a “leftover woman,” a pejorative term which automatically devalues the woman for being single too late in life and therefore, far less useful to society.

The cameras follow three different women, two over 30 and one approaching that intimidating landmark. And these are not provincial ladies looking for man to be “head of the household.” One is a successful attorney. Another is a public radio broadcast personality. And the last one is a university professor. For the course of the film we watch them coerced into accepting fates they may be less than willing to accept. Tearful fights with family are caught on film. Professional marriage placement services shame the women’s looks and advise them to seek out an ugly man before it’s too late. And open-air arranged marriage markets find parents hawking their sons off to match to a leftover woman – but only if they meet the criteria sought after. Losers need not apply. One of the women tries to get past a mother acting as gatekeeper for her son (who we can’t even see a picture of) but she’s unwilling to entertain any substandard comers.

It’s a truly awful situation. The central government’s controlling efforts to brainwash the women into “playing their role” interferes with professional ambitions and personal relationships. And as we follow the three ladies, we see varying degrees of acquiescence, and in one case, open rebellion. Imagine your own sister telling them you’ve dishonored the family by not being married and having kids by your early thirties, that all the educational goals you’ve achieved and high-paying jobs you keep mean nothing. The results are disparate for the film’s subjects. One falls into line and we get a glimpse of where that’s taking her. Another seems to waiver about her choices. But for one at least, outright rejection of the position she feels forced into propels her in a direction where nobody really wants it to go – but presents perhaps the only means of achieving personal freedom. It’s not exactly a Handmaid’s Tale situation, but there’s plenty of elements of that. And sadly, it’s happening right now. Kudos to the filmmakers for casting a light on this most unhappy reality.