The Third Wife (2018)

In 19th century rural Vietnam, May is ready to become the third wife of a wealthy landowner. Little does she know that her hidden desires will force her to decide between living in safety and being free.

Director:

Ash Mayfair

Writer:

Ash Mayfair

Stars:

Hong Chuong Nguyen, Long Le Vu, Nu Yên-Khê Tran

8 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hong Chuong Nguyen	...	Ong Ba
Long Le Vu	...	Hung
Nu Yên-Khê Tran	...	Ha (as Tran Nu Yên-Khê)
Maya	...	Xuan (as Mai Thu Huong Maya)
Nguyen Phuong Tra My	...	May
Nhu Quynh Nguyen	...	Ba Lao
Nguyen Thanh Tam	...	Son
Lam Thanh My	...	Lien
Mai Cát Vi	...	Nhan
Khanh An Tang	...	Bo Cau
Trung Anh	...	Ong Van (as Bui Trung Anh)
Thi Kim Ngan Pham	...	Tuyet
Bao Ngoc Vu	...	May's Baby
Thi Huyen Nguyen	...	Female Servant
Anh Tin Nguyen	...	Male Servant

Storyline

In 19th century rural Vietnam, fourteen-year-old May is ready to become the third wife of a wealthy landowner. Little does she know that her hidden desires will take her by surprise and force her to make a choice between living in safety and being free.

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Plot Keywords:

landowner | fourteen year old | teenager | vietnam | third wife | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released in Vietnam on 17 May 2019, only to be pulled by producers under pressure from authorities four days later. They were criticized for having allowed the lead actress, who was 13 at the time of filming, to be involved in sex scenes, even though they were filmed with only female crew and under her mother's supervision. The producers feared keeping the film in cinemas would prolong the online abuse that had been directed at the actress and her family.

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Connections

Edited into Between Shadow and Soul (2020)

User Reviews

A beautiful and tragic drama from Vietnam.

Again, this movie premiered in 2018 at TIFF but had its wider release in 2019. This movie is slow, but it's gorgeous and very well-acted. There are so many striking visuals and tons of symbolism. This movie is also very sad and very disturbing. It's about a young teenage girl in 1800s Vietnam becoming the third wife of an older man in hopes to give him a son, and it just gets worse from there. This movie deals with some very heavy subject matter and it certainly isn't for everyone, it can be pretty uncomfortable, but I thought it was great and think it's worth a watch. It's depressing, but very good.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Vietnam

Language:

Vietnamese

Release Date:

15 May 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Third Wife

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,339, 19 May 2019

Gross USA:

$84,933

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$305,755

Company Credits

Production Co:

An Nam Productions, Mayfair Pictures, Three Colors Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1