My Mr. Wife (Chàng Vợ Của Em)
Charlie Nguyen/ Vietnam/ 2018/ 120 min
In My Mr. Wife, a drama filled with comedic twists, seasoned director Charlie Nguyen
skillfully captures parallel, but interconnecting, stories about chance encounters. Inspired
by the English novel Busy Woman Seeks Wife by Annie Sanders, it has been cleverly
adapted into a timely Vietnamese story. Phuong Anh Dao, who also starred in Viet Film
Fest 2018 opening night film Summer in Closed Eyes, shines as Mai, a competitive career
woman. She hides the fact that she is the daughter of a famous singer and is intent on
proving she can succeed on her own merits. As a workaholic, Mai realizes she needs help
organizing her domestic affairs and hires a caring housekeeper who turns out to be more
than she imagines. An annoying man she keeps running into during her jogs in the park
turns out to be another surprise. Meanwhile, after their parents’ pass away, Hung, a
sensitive bookstore owner played by one of Vietnam’s most famous and versatile actors,
Thai Hoa, is a doting, but overbearing, brother to his teenage sister, Ngoc. Desiring
independence from Hung, she inadvertently pushes him to overcome a past trauma and
confront his fears by working to fulfill his own dreams.
The film artfully plays with role reversal and contrasts images of a slower paced nostalgic
city that values traditions compared to a rapidly modernizing metropolis driven by
capitalist rewards. Talented in their own productions, director Charlie Nguyen and actor
Thai Hoa are also known as the magical duo that has transformed Vietnamese cinema
with other blockbuster hits. Phuong Anh Dao holds her own adding luminescence to their
creative powers, which translates well in any language. Ultimately this film, which won
the 2018 Golden Kite Award for Best Feature Film, is a remarkably heartwarming
narrative about intertwined relationships and a belief that it’s possible to find affirmation
and solace when we least expect it. - Linda Trinh Vo
Q&A 30 mins
