By 
By Roger Costa
THE THIRD WIFE
In 19th Century Vietnam, a 14-year-old girl arrives at a village to become the landowner’s youngest wife; she’s introduced to the others, building a bridge, an immediate connection as she’s being prepared and taught how to improve and mature herself as a woman. They live for their husband’s pleasure and service, in complete harmony with each other, though their different interests, subjugation and unique way of loving, give access to some decisive emotional conflicts. Vietnamese first-time director Ash Mayfair conceives one of this year’s most gorgeous and delicate films, an insightful and observational portrait of a teen bride seen through other angles. The protagonist, May, captures the audience’s heart right in the opening sequence, as she keeps it quiet, just absorbing with her big open eyes everything around her new community; The sense of unknown and undiscovered frightens her, as she experiences sexual contact for the first time. She mentions she only feels pain, but is instructed that gradually she’ll learn how to take pleasure- which she does, as she realizes his erotic and demanding fantasies, help her expand her inner, shy desires, as well as self-understanding. Experiencing a moment of transition, from innocence into womanhood, May is pushed by her instinctive and confusing hormones, fully seeking acceptance and affection among them, the husband, the other wives, and the children (which whom she mostly identifies). The film explores her loneliness and ambiguity, capturing her inner emotions as it deeply observes every movement and action in the village, including secret, prohibited encounters. The sexual tension increases, creating a lyrical atmosphere where eroticism reigns; Mayfair conducts the material with exquisite, original sensibility, not focused on women’s oppression and sorrow, but rather, on their pleasures and privileges, centered on the sexual and emotional exploration of a newcomer. Exuberantly crafted and designed, it’s a visually-arresting coming of age story, a poetic meditation on the deflowering of a complex girl. A must-see! (Film Movement. 5/16. Film Forum.)
THE RIVER AND THE WALL
One of Earth’s greatest and richest places in biodiversity is at serious risk of extinction due to greed and modern politics. This deeply sad fact permeates Ben Masters’s eco-friendly documentary, as it chronicles the adventurous trip of five friends, whose devotion to Nature and human respect, motivate them to explore the waters of Rio Grande, and the process of securing the border with a gigantic concrete wall. Presenting the river’s wonders, eye-popping beautiful landscapes, and the animal life, the group of activists and experts expose how the Government has been keeping this wonderful place away from the public, as its intention to reinforce border control continues to intensify, as well as it keeps on stirring up humanitarian controversy. Smart and heartbreaking, Masters focuses on the environmental issue, collecting perspectives from both sides representatives, Democrats and Republicans, capturing their alliance to find a better and safer solution, while fighting to preserve the river’s wild life. The film brilliantly portraits the parallels of immigration, extracting moving and inspirational testimonies from members of the group, especially the overcoming story of a Brazilian photographer, who escaped violence and poverty to find a home in America, and a young man who praises his hardworking parents for accomplishing the American dream- sending their three sons to College. Masters manages to conceive a powerful statement about ecological importance and family values, all while investigating the realities of illegal immigration and its collective effects. (Gravitas Ventures. 5/16. AMC Empire.)
THE WANDERING SOAP OPERA
Revered Chilean director Raul Ruiz returned to his home country in 1990, after the fall of dictator Pinochet, to create this satirical and surrealist project, a collection of sequences set up as a popular TV soap opera. Behind the drama and encounters between lovers, artists, politicians and runaways the director scandalously addresses the country’s history, social and political perspectives, as well as the progressive changes and nationwide expectations, preciously conceived with kitsch, Avant-Garde style. The work was rediscovered by his wife, Valeria Sarmiento, who finished and edited, before its Premiere at Locarno. Filmed in Super-16mm, the result is a hilarious, provocative and philosophical overview on the director’s personal intentions and relief- he was exiled in Europe during the dictatorship- and an efficient, irreverent medium of protest. (The Cinema Guild. 5/17. Anthology Film Archives.)
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