Set in 19th century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May is the third bride of a wealthy landowner, who soon realises that the only way to gain power is by bearing a son. But trouble is quietly brewing, and after witnessing a forbidden tryst, May is confronted by new desires and begins to question the rigid patriarchal order of the house. The Vietnamese countryside is resplendent with birdsong, while the wives trapped inside gilded cages communicate through stolen glances and longing gazes. Taking inspiration from the Vietnamese-born director’s own family history, The Third Wife is a gorgeously intimate and melancholy story of female subjugation, love, and unlikely independence.

Content warnings: The film contains graphic depictions of sex and violence involving forced child marriage in the context of 19th century Vietnam, which may be upsetting to some viewers.