The Third Wife although banned in Vietnam due to it's sexually provocative theme, is one of those artistic movie with superb cinematography I enjoy apart from "Scent of the Green Papaya." This movie is Ash Mayfair's daring directorial debut and she clearly excelled at it. I look forward to more future masterpieces from this brilliant female director.
The backdrop of this movie was set in the 19th century wealthy landowner family of the breathtaking Ninh Binh province. Ninh Binh located about 100 kilometres away from Hanoi is also well-known for it's lush landscape. The plot of the story follows a 14 years old girl's journey into adulthood by accepting her role of a third wife to a middle-aged landowner.
As I've always assumed Vietnamese culture leaned towards matriarchy rather than patriarchy hence both polygamy and favoritism towards male offspring shocked me a little. May, the young teenage bride had two mentors, namely the first and the second wives. The second wife was especially kind and maternal so she took the young bride under her wings. If this movie was set in the feudal society of China, probably all wives would be busy poisoning if they haven't already killed each other.
A rare scene seldom revealed to the world was the way Asian culture value virginity. Women then had to display blood stained white cloth in front of the ancestral hall as a sign of withholding their family honor. This practice can be very unfavorable towards athletic but virtuous women.
Another traditional cultural aspect is that a full moon represented the best time for consummating a marriage. Perhaps sexual hormones such as estrogen and testosterone tend to be at optimal level hence easier to conceive a child had something to do with this ancient method. Another possibility had to do with ease of calculating the delivery date of a baby.
The movie also explored possible bisexual relationship when the young May developed an infatuation towards the attractive second wife. However, the second wife gracefully declined May's advances. Soon, we will find out the reason as the director was very bold to include extramarital affairs between the second wife and her step son.
The relationship dynamics took a turn for the worse when the eldest heir of the family had to get married and when young May gave birth to a baby girl. Despite a sad and unexpected ending, I nevertheless appreciated the realistic as well as creative approach to storytelling. This movie is indeed a rare gem for those interested to learn more about relationships, marriage, childbirth and customs of ancient Vietnamese feudal society.
Thank you for reading!
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
Cheers,
Wheat