The Last Wife

A bittersweet tale of lost love and opportunities, The Third Wife spins Linh and Nhan's story of sacrifice and redemption into something quite special. The pairing of Kaity Nguyen and Thuan Nguyen as the star-crossed lovers, combined with Victor Vu's skillful direction and superb cinematography make for an unforgettable viewing experience. The supporting characters offer a glimpse of what life must have been like during the Nguyen dynasty for this quiet village, drawing sharply divergent portraits between the simple villagers and the ruling class. It does run a bit long by Western filmmaking standards, but that may be the point - this is not "movie-making as usual".

I'm from the United States and this was the first time i have watched a Vietnamese film. I love period dramas and this was surprisingly just what I was looking for. The story isn't anything we haven't seen before, but I have no problem with that. I particularly enjoyed the movie carrying on for a few moments after the typical ending giving us full closure on what the family did. I thoroughly enjoyed the film down to finding myself weeping by the end. Reading captions is no problem for me and didn't take me out of the film for any moment. I hope I can find more films like this, my English language films are starting to run thin.

As a Viet live abroad, I was so excited to see a Vietnamese movies on Netflix. I could not pass 15 minutes because of minor thing that are over looked. To make a quality movies, you have to get every little details correct, and accurate. The main actress while doing a terrific job, but has southern accent. Mean while every one else in the movies setting was speaking in Northern accent. Major misinform facts. This is the director mistake. He could demand the main actress speak in Northern accent and it would be bearable to watch. And the Executive producer? Who are they? And let this slide? Probably not a Viet live abroad person to go along with this madness. I'm sorry, but I give it a 4 stars at best.

I really enjoyed the cinematography in this film. The scenery is stunning and it was wonderfully photographed and very pleasing to look at. So much so that I hope to go to visit the area where it was filmed to see the scenery for myself.

I think that the main actors portrayed their characters very well. I found it a very moving story because I felt invested in the characters and lost in their tale. This is quite a long film but it did not feel long because I was very engaged throughout. There are moments of high tension which keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have been told that the actor who played the governor is better known as a theatrical comedian rather than as an actor.

I started following Victor Vu's films since "Passport to love" (2009), and I'm quite happy that I was able to take in this latest offering of his. The cinematography is top notch - right from the start, you're pulled into the story by the gorgeous sceneries, the lush vegetation, the breathtaking waterfalls and rural vistas. This is also a period drama, in which the costumes are sumptuous, the peasant dresses authentic looking, and you experience full immersion in 19th century Vietnam, during the Nguyen dynasty. The story is fairly straightforward and its development and denouement somewhat predictable. In scope and breadth, it reminded me of "Raise the red lantern" the Chinese-language 1991 Zhang Yimou romantic comedy starring Gong Li. Here too we witness the bleak fate that befalls young, pretty women when confronted with family poverty and ruthless, cruel landowners or government officials. The acting is very good. Kaity Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, and all the supporting cast put in solid, very believable performances. It was a good 2+ hours in an pleasant, delightful, at times tear-jerking movie. I hope that Victor Vu will continue to give these little gems, which, IMO, are much better fare than the blockbusters and superhero rehashes we seem to keep getting from the big studios. I fully recommend "The last wife" and give it a solid 8 stars.