Beauty and budding feminism combine in Ash Mayfair's gorgeous 19th Century tale of rural Vietnam life, THE THIRD WIFE

It has been awhile since we've seen quite so much beauty and elegance -- all of it seeming more off-the-cuff natural than overly planned -- in a movie coming out of Vietnam. The Scent of Green Papaya (from all the way back to 1993) comes to immediate mind, though there may have been other films TrustMovies has missed or forgotten.

In any case, viewers attuned the world's natural beauty, as well as to what I'd call an Asian penchant for subtlety and grace, will want to take in THE THIRD WIFE, a new film -- her first full-length, after several shorts -- from the Vietnam-born, NYU film-educated Ash Mayfair, pictured at left. This is as lovely, graceful and finally full-bodied feminist a work of art as I've seen in some time.

For all its beauty and seemingly peaceful elegance, the movie left me not a little surprised and oddly uplifted by the strong, firm finale which is, in its own way, every bit as elegant and subtle as what has come before.

It may seem almost amazing to us westerners how pre-determined were the lives of women at the time the movie takes place (the late 19th Century), as well as how easily the women we see made themselves fit so securely and completely into the groove of patriarchy, while still discovering their own ways of rebelling and/or satisfying their needs. And yet, there is maybe not so much difference between what we see here and what we saw in a movie like the recent Lizzie, that offered up the kind of closed-off-to-women life that resulted in the infamous Lizzie Borden murders. The place and the culture may differ, but patriarchy still rules.

The tale Ms Mayfair tells in The Third Wife is of a 14-year-old rural girl named May (the lovely and quietly cryptic Nguyen Phuong Tra My, above) who is made to wed a wealthy landowner. The movie begins as she is carried via boat (below) to her new home, and then meanders along as May learns how to deal with her place in the hierarchy of the life of her new husband.

Wives number one and two make their place known, and yet they do not seem actively against our newcomer, as we might expect, were the film made by westerners. There is a grandfather and grandchildren, too, and both male and female servants who are probably as close to slaves as can be imagined -- and still not matter so much. Except to the slaves, of course.

Performances are on the quiet side but very real from all concerned, and the filmmaker (as both writer and director) takes care to let us see the ways in which our women manage to circumvent standard mores, whether sexually or, finally, appearance-wise. (The finale, when mulled-over post-viewing, practically begs for a sequel.)

The film's most potent sequence involves an arranged marriage in which the husband is not at all happy -- for good reason, yet it is his bride who must suffer the consequences. Even as the strictures of the patriarchy pile up, so obedient and subservient seem the women, and so quiet and even-handed is the work of the filmmaker that when resistance finally arrives, simple and even mild as it might elsewhere appear, here it packs a punch that any of our ham-handed super-hero movies might envy. I'd love to learn what happens to these women, but whatever Ms Mayfair chooses to do next, I'm on board to view it.

From Film Movement and running 94 minutes, the movie opens this Wednesday, May 15, in New York City at Film Forum, and will then play another 30 cities around the country, including the Los Angeles area on May 24 (at Laemmle's Royal and Playhouse 7) and here in Boca Raton on June 7 (at the Living Room Theaters). Click here, then scroll way down, to see if and when the film will be coming to a theater near you.

FUN MOM DINNER: Alethea Jones and Julie Rudd's mom-com opens on multiple platforms

Think of FUN MOM DINNER as the low-budget version of Bad Moms -- only friskier, funnier, better written, acted and directed. And though it is every bit as manufactured and manipulative as its predecessor, because of its consistent air of geniality and the improvisational style of the writing and performances, the end result goes down more easily than you might imagine. As written by Julie Rudd (shown below, left) and directed by Alethea Jones (below, right), and with four fine actresses essaying those mom roles, the movie is pretty consistently buoyant and entertaining.

The set-up proves relatively quick and efficient, as we meet the moms in question (below, right to left): Toni Collette, Katie Aselton, Molly Shannon and the movie's surprise "find," Bridget Everett, who pretty much steals the film as the sexy, heavy-set, forthright and funny mom named Melanie.

Two of the mothers initially loathe each other -- Everett and Collette (shown below), the latter in her best holier-than-thou mode that soon morphs into genuine friendship -- while the other two deal with their own problems. Aselton, towing a husband who is overworked and emotionally absent, easily proves that she can handle the leading romantic role, while Shannon does her sweet-and-goofy nerd routine as the lonely single mom in the bunch.

Our girls, on their evening out, get drunk and naughty, have near-flings (Adam Levine makes a nicely sexy bar owner), go clubbing, do some karaoke (below), and take an ocean dip, all while bonding and learning. Meanwhile we spend some time with two of the husbands (Adam Scott and Rob Huebel), both of whom are brought to believable life with humor and more sense and honestly than we often get from the men in some of our current chick flicks. Paul Rust makes a lovely foil for Shannon's character, while writer Rudd's hubby Paul get a funny cameo as the local pot dealer.

There's little new here, but thanks to the talented ensemble both in front of and behind the camera, there's enough liveliness and humor to fill the 82-minute running time -- even if the movie seems to end twice (with the second one not all that necessary).

From Momentum Pictures, Fun Mom Dinner hits theaters, VOD and digital this Friday, August 4. In New York City, look for it at the Village East Cinema; in the Los Angeles area at Laemmle's Monica Film Center. It will also play nine other major cities. Click here then scroll down to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.