Film Review: THE DATING GAME: Violet Du Feng’s Interesting Look at Average Guys Trying to Find Love is a Reminder of the Difficulties of Connecting with Others [Sundance 2025]

The Dating Game Review

The Dating Game (2025) Film Review from the 48th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Violet Du Feng.

With The Dating Game, director Violet Du Feng returns with a new documentary after winning audiences over with her tremendously satisfying 2022 gem, Hidden Letters. If her previous film dealt with females trying to find some satisfaction in their lives, this new picture focuses more on the men. It makes it known that women are outnumbered by men due to previous “one child” restrictions in China. There are a lot of men who may end up single forever with those statistics the film provides but the guys in this picture aren’t going to go down without a fight. They’re trying to do the impossible and find love in a world which feels pretty bleak due to a lack of financial freedom and/or good looks. It seems the government wants couples to get together and orchestrates events to encourage members of the opposite sex to meet each other but it still often feels like a losing battle in the world that Du Feng presents.

Matchmaking is something that is done as a profession by a couple of characters in the movie. However, while the film deals with the complexities of trying to pair couples up, it also aptly presents the unrealistic expectations that some of the people going into the dating world have set before themselves. First, it is made known that the cost of dating assistance can run somebody up to $300 which isn’t a reasonable price if said person only makes about double that altogether over the course of a month. It’s also easy to want a potential partner to make $1500 a month but it’s quite another to a.) find that person and b.) get along with that person if you do manage to find him or her.

Much of The Dating Game consists of the guys trying to get their “game on” with the ladies. Self-confidence is tough, though, when men try to connect with ladies in real life and then attempt to get them to match up as friends on WeChat. One lady eventually scans the phone to connect with a young gentleman but that doesn’t mean it’s a true match. That guy just got lucky and that luck may run out sooner rather than later.

We meet a character’s uncle who is missing a tooth and he talks about the old days. Dating wasn’t always this complicated but people have higher standards now than they ever had. Who wants to settle when there are so many people (or so few) out there anyway? These guys the movie presents may feel like settling down if they ever get the chance to but their odds of matching up are just about equal to those of winning the lottery here in the States. They could be, maybe, a tad better when it comes to finding a partner than winning a fortune but the odds are still almost as improbable nevertheless judging from this movie.

We briefly meet a couple who gets matched at an event where a teddy bear is involved and a hug and it all feels pretty awkward. Why can’t people just develop relationships naturally? Of course, the abundance of men versus the scarcity of ladies is a huge problem as well. Violet Du Feng doesn’t sugarcoat this material at all. One of the last scenes has a group of guys walking off together and they could be forever single at the pace they’re going at and it’s just as heartbreaking for us as viewers as it is for them. Reality certainly does bite.

There’s a scene where the guys play with some dogs and seem to connect better with the animals than they do with actual people. That’s partly because of the emotional games that are played in the dating world and in human relationships. Sometimes it’s better to break up with someone before getting rejected and, other times, it’s just too much to bear to give your whole heart to something which probably won’t work out anyway.

These guys in the movie try to dress the right way and get the right haircuts. Some girls, it is said in the film, appreciate nerdy men even though they may not have the skills to be a good “pick-up artist.” Du Feng fascinates with the material although there are no easy answers offered here regarding how to date in China or in the world today. Despite the easiness of connecting through social networks and phones, it has become much harder than ever to find love and that’s, perhaps, the saddest thing about The Dating Game. This film even suggests that virtual, fake partners are more satisfying than real ones!

Du Feng is a talented filmmaker and her latest offers more questions and concerns than it addresses answers to the overall problem but actually acknowledging the problem is the most important thing a picture like this could do. Now, let’s find a way for singles to meet people without judging others based on their looks or finances. One woman in The Dating Game suggests it’s definitely possible but is it probable? Du Feng has fashioned another winning look at a very delicate topic and she succeeds with a thought-provoking little movie that will stay with the viewer long after the conclusion.

Rating: 8/10

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