The Third Wife (Vietnamese: Vợ ba) is a 2018 Vietnamese costume drama film written and directed by Ash Mayfair, in her feature debut. Set in the 19th century, it follows a 14-year-old girl who becomes the third wife to a landowner in rural northern Vietnam.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018, where it won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award. It also won the TVE-Another Look Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Gold Hugo for New Directors at the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2018.
In 2020 Mayfair released a re-worked version of the film called Between Shadow and Soul. The re-worked film used the same footage from the original shoot but reconfigured in black and white and with no dialogue and a new soundtrack
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.
Film debut of Nguyen Phuong Tra My, who was just 12 years old when she was initially cast as the lead character May in The Third Wife. She was chosen among 900 girls by film writer and director Ash Mayfair after a nationwide casting.
Director: Ash Mayfair.
Cast: Nguyễn Phương Trà My, Hong Chuong Nguyen, Long Le Vu, Trần Nữ Yên Khê, Maya, Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Nguyen Thanh Tam, Lam Thanh My, Mai Cát Vi, Khanh An Tang, Trung Anh, Thi Kim Ngan Pham, Bao Ngoc Vu, Thi Huyen Nguyen, Mai Thu Hường.
Vietnam, 2018.
Language: Vietnamese.
Subtitles: English.
Download Vợ Ba / The Third Wife. 2018.