The Third Wife (Vietnam, 2018)

In 19th century rural Vietnam, fourteen-year-old May is ready to become the third wife of a wealthy landowner. Little does she know that her hidden desires will take her by surprise and force her to make a choice between living in safety and being free.

The Third Wife marks an amazing debut by director Ash Mayfair, who for 4 months lived in a rural village in preparation for the film and to get all the customs and details right. Ash commands the camera with great confidence and you could never have thought that this is her first feature film, but she perfectly blends a disturbing tale of underage marriage with the beautiful countryside of Vietnam. The tempo is consistently composed, yet the emotional waves inside of young May are growing higher and higher. 

By some it would be considered art-house, but I hope that term doesn't scare away people from experiencing a film which is in the vein of Tran Anh Hung (Cyclo).

Genre: Drama

The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnam, 1993)

Ten-year-old Mui arrives from the provinces of Vietnam to work as a servant girl in the home of a Saigon merchant family. The year is 1951. She is a shy and resourceful girl whose tasks include preparing and stir-frying vegetables, serving meals, dusting, scrubbing the tile floors, and polishing shoes. While Mui adapts effortlessly to her responsibilities, the merchant family doesn't fare as well. The mother, who is still mourning the death of her daughter, is abandoned by her husband and her two youngest sons act out their anger on poor Mui.

One of the greatest dramas ever. Beautifully filmed, visually it's a true achievement in the art of film making, and has a haunting, bone-chilling score. Directed by the amazing Tran Anh Hung (Cyclo, Norwegian Wood). 

Genre: Drama

Cyclo (Hong Kong/Vietnam, 1995)

A young man who struggles through life by earning some money with his bicycle-taxi in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) gets contact to a group of criminals. They introduce him to the mafia-world of drugs and crime.

Cyclo is a raw, unforgettable story about a young man trying to escape his dangerous life and has some brutally stunning visuals. Directed by Tran Anh Hung (Norwegian Wood, The Scent of Green Papaya), it's one of the most powerful dramas I've ever seen, with many scenes that alone deserves a handful of prizes. Acting like this doesn't grow on trees, as it is quite extraordinaire. 

A film that truly leaves you breathless, amazing direction and storytelling.

Genre: Crime/Drama