Set in the 19th century, The Third Wife follows 14-year-old May who was selected to be the third wife of a wealthy landowner.
After winning many awards at international film festivals, The Third Wife (Người Vợ Ba) finally reaches cinemas in Vietnam from May 17, Tuoi Tre reports.
Directed by Nguyen Phuong Anh, better known internationally as Ash Mayfair, the film was first introduced at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year when it won the festival's NETPAC Award For World or International Asian Premiere.
The film then went on to clinch several awards at other festivals including the Best Film Award of the International Category at the Kolkata International Film Festival in India; Best Artistic Contribution at Cairo International Film Festival 2018 in Egypt; and TVE-Another Look Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.
The Third Wife is the full-length directorial debut of Anh, who is born and raised in Saigon but studied film in the US and UK. Based loosely on her great-grandmother and grandmother's arranged marriages, the film explores May's journey of finding her personal freedom in a sociocultural landscape that restricts women from claiming their own agencies.
"The protagonist can only be a wife and a mother, even though in reality she is a child. She faces severe repercussions if she chooses to be anything else," said Phuong Anh in an interview with Women And Hollywood.
"This situation in 19th century Vietnam is sadly still pervasive in so many parts of the world right now. Young girls are being forced into situations beyond their control and many women are often torn between familial duties and personal passions. The characters of this story may belong to a distant past, however, their narrative and struggles are very much present in our contemporary society," she continued.
Watch Người Vợ Ba's trailer below:
[Video via YouTube channel CGV Cinemas Vietnam]
