6.3
A muddled, soapy period drama with distracting comedy
Movie
Vietnam
Vietnamese
Drama, Romance
2023
VICTOR VŨ
De Ly Luu, Kaity Nguyễn, Ngọc Diệp
133 min
TLDR
The potential this movie had...
What it's about
Vietnam, 19th century. Unable to have a son, Linh, the youngest and last wife of the corrupt district governor, has a chance meeting with her childhood love Nhan, unexpectedly changing her life.
The take
Like its governor having many wives, The Last Wife has too many elements left unsatisfied. To its credit, it has lovely scenery, costumes, and set design that matches the era. With Linh forced into a marriage to pay off her father’s debts, reuniting with a childhood love, the film also had the erotic potential of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, with a thrilling second act twist that occurs when they get discovered. However, the film gets dragged down by the slow pace and random comedic scenes that don’t add to the thematic stakes, sometimes even distracting the viewer from the dismal conditions the titular wife is forced into.
What stands out
The Last Wife does have the melodrama to critique the unfair treatment the governor is able to get away with, but there are some randomly inserted comedic scenes that undercuts the seriousness the situation deserves. And with Linh being the third wife, the serious plot does feel a tad too reminiscent of Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife (2018).
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