It
is one of the great scientific injustices throughout human history. Women,
especially those married to Henry VIII, have been blamed for not producing a
male heir, even though it is only the father who can supply that Y chromosome.
May finds herself in a similar dilemma. As the junior-most wife of a wealthy
Vietnamese plantation owner, her position depends on her ability to give birth
to a boy. The dysfunctional family dynamics and her first stirrings of passion
will also confuse May in Ash Mayfair’s The
Third Wife (trailer
here),
which screens during the 2018 Hawaii International Film Festival.
Frankly,
May looks even younger than her fourteen years, so the idea of her marrying
anyone is rather disturbing. Nonetheless, she fulfills her wedding night duties
well enough to soon be pregnant. She is probably rather fortunate, because the senior
wives, Ha and Xuan are quite supportive and protective of her. She also makes
fast friends with Xuan’s daughters, Lien who is not much younger then May and spirited
eight-or-ten-year-old Nhan.
The
passions simmering within May’s new extended family definitely match the hot and
humid Vietnamese countryside. This is especially true of the patriarch’s unstable
son, who has been secretly carrying on an illicit affair with Xuan that has
made him problematically co-dependent. Inevitably, his Werther-like brooding
will destabilize their hothouse environment.
The
Vietnamese-born, US & UK-educated Mayfair has crafted a wonderfully lush
and evocative film. You can just smell the wild flowers (and the deadly nightshade).
It is also very steamy, in every sense of the word.
As
May, Nguyen Phuong Tra My does indeed look distressingly young and vulnerable,
but she also makes a convincing pivot when her character starts to make some
cold, hard decisions. Tran Nu Yen Khe is also wonderfully forceful and
charismatic as Ha. However, My Cat Vi steals nearly all of her scenes as the
wide-eyed, yet surprisingly resourceful Nhan.
Visually,
Third Wife is absolutely gorgeous. Cinematographer
Chananun Chotrungroj drinks in the rain forest backdrop and luxuriates in the
trappings of 19th Century, fin de siècle wealth and [male] privilege.
It is hard to watch the tragedy as it inevitably transpires, but Mayfair holds
the viewers in a vice-like grip. She makes you want to immerse yourself in this
world, despite its social inequities. Highly recommended, The Third Wife screens tomorrow (11/15) and Saturday (11/17), as
part of this year’s HIFF.
