Third Wife, The: Ash Mayfair’s Tale of Patriarchy and ts Strictures

With a largely female cast and crew, The Third Wife portrays the strictures of patriarchy, the rules by which a woman can gain some degree of prestige and power (as the mother of a son), and the consequences any deviance will engender.

But most of all, this is a story of emotional bonding among three generations of women, in a setting that is both exquisitely beautiful and painfully repressive.

Born and raised in Vietnam, Ash Mayfair has drawn upon her familial history (both grandmother and great-grandmother were in arranged marriages at a young age) to create the fictitious 19th century drama of 14-year-old May, who becomes the third wife of an older man.

Written and directed by Ash Mayfair

Opening May 15 at Film Forum