Summary:
Nkauj Ntsum and Tub Tuam dated and soon wed. They each got a job, and both were very successful professionals. However, the one thing they did not have was children.
One day Tub Tuam's mother returned home and pulled him to the side. She informed him that she had visited his relatives and they all agreed that although he and his wife were well off, they needed children so that their life may have a happy ending. Tub Tuam told his mother that no matter what anyone said, he refused to take a second wife because he loved Nkauj Ntsum dearly. But his mother insisted that he must remarry. He said that before taking such an action, he must ensure with medical doctors that his wife could not really bear children.
Nkauj Ntsum made breakfast, and called her husband and mother-in-law to eat. Tub Tuam informed his mother of an interest to take Nkauj Ntsum on a vacation. His mother gave her approval but reminded him of their secret conversation, which made Nkauj Ntsum suspicious.
Nkauj Ntsum and Tub Tuam went up to the mountains, and stayed at a cabin. They took walks alongside a beautiful lake and had a romantic candlelight dinner. It was during this time that Tub Tuam joked with Nkauj Ntsum about her thoughts on adding a third person to their family. Nkauj Ntsum thought he was referring to a baby, and said that it was a great idea because the child would add warmth and joy to their life. However, Tub Tuam responded by saying that he was talking about another wife. This upset Nkauj Ntsum and she got up to leave. Tub Tuam stopped her and said that he was only teasing her.
After Nkauj Ntsum and Tub Tuam returned home, Tub Tuam's uncles called him to one of their homes. They said that they have all put their hopes on him as a future family leader, and wished very much that he had children. If his current wife was unable to bear children, he must remarry a second wife. And if his current wife could not accept this idea, then he should just divorce her. After their attempts to brainwash Tub Tuam, he said that he would think about it.
In the mean time, Nkauj Ntsum received a call from her doctor's office. She visited the doctor without Tub Tuam, and the physician explained to her that after a series of tests on her and her husband, the result showed that the reason behind her and Tub Tuam's infertility was Tub Tuam's fault. Being a kindhearted wife and a person who was willing to sacrifice herself for love, Nkauj Ntsum refused to let Tub Tuam take the blame. She asked the doctor to help conceal the information from Tub Tuam and if Tub Tuam ever ask, to tell Tub Tuam that it was her fault instead. The doctor agreed and promised to let Nkauj Ntsum reveal the truth when she felt like the situation was appropriate.
Tub Tuam then called Nkauj Ntsum to ask for the result of her doctor's visit. Nkauj Ntsum replied that it was her fault and hung up the phone. Her response lifted a stressor off Tub Tuam's shoulder and he immediately asked a cousin to take him hunting for a second wife. His cousin took him to meet a girl named Maiv Mim, and Tub Tuam talked and flirted with her. Thereafter, he often visited Maiv Mim.
One day, Nkauj Ntsum asked Tub Tuam why he was not home often anymore. His reply was that he had more meetings to attend. She bought his answer at that moment, but became very upset when she accidentally bumped into him and Maiv Mim shopping together at a grocery store. She spent many nights sleeping alone and crying to herself. Shortly afterward, Tub Tuam informed his mother of his interest in marrying a second wife and wanted his mother to explain the situation to Nkauj Ntsum so that she would understand. His mother said that she was unsure if she could persuade Nkauj Ntsum to accept the situation, but Tub Tuam remarked that his mother would just have to try because no matter what he would eventually marry Maiv Mim. However, what the two mother and son were not aware of was that Nkauj Ntsum had accidentally eavesdropped on their conversation, and hearing such news saddened her very much.
The next day, Nkauj Ntsum's mother-in-law tried to explain Tub Tuam's situation to her. Nkauj Ntsum confessed that she had overheard what they were talking over the evening before and said that she would open the road wide for Tub Tuam to remarry if he really did not love her anymore. Thereafter, Nkauj Ntsum went to eat alone at a restaurant and Tub Tuam and Maiv Mim happened to come sit behind her. Nkauj Ntsum overheard their flirtateous conversation, and purposely showed herself before them. Shocked by his wife's presence, Tub Tuam stuttered to tell Maiv Miv who Nkauj Ntsum was but the respectful Nkauj Ntsum revealed that she was only Tub Tuam's coworker and left.
Tub Tuam then met up with his uncle, telling the uncle of his desire to marry Maiv Miv when the moon became full. That night, Tub Tuam and Nkauj Ntsum both appeared uncomfortably in bed. Tub Tuam told a distressful Nkauj Ntsum of his going to bring Maiv Miv home to live with them and promised her that no matter what happened, he would continue to love her the same way. Nkauj Ntsum said that he was a person who did not heed her words, so now she did not care anymore and he could do whatever he pleased. She would give him the freedom to start a new life with another woman. He asked her why she spoke as if she did not want to live with him anymore. She said that a person like her had no where to go so he needed not worry.
Deeper into the night, Nkauj Ntsum wrote a letter to her aunt, explaining in details her heart-broken life story and asked her aunt to accept her with opened-arms if she ever show up at her aunt's doorsteps. Not long afterward while Nkauj Ntsum was listening to music in the living room, she received a call from Tub Tuam to clean a bedroom for him and his bride. Nkauj Ntsum replied that she would not prepare a new room for them, and that he and his bride could just sleep in their old room while she would go and sleep in another room. However, she packed her suitcase instead and left Tub Tuam a letter.
When Tub Tuam returned home with Maiv Miv, he found the house quiet and emptied. He looked everywhere for Nkauj Ntsum, but found only her letter under a pair of bangles and a ring. He picked up her letter to read. In the letter, she informed him of her departure and ensured him that she would not die because of love. She only left him because she could not withstand him loving another woman in front of her eyes. If their love was meant to be, they would be together again one day. Although she very much wanted them to stay together, he did not so she had no choice but to take her chosen path. After reading the letter, Tub Tuam shed some tears.
Everyday thereafter, Tub Tuam kept thinking about Nkauj Ntsum, not knowing how to live life. He too soon discovered that his new wife was very lazy and undutiful, someone who cared for herself only. This made Tub Tuam missed Nkauj Ntsum even more, and his longing for her took him to the places that he and Nkauj Ntsum once visited together. Tub Tuam's mother too found out the true nature of her new daughter-in-law and became regretful for being an influence in the separation of Tub Tuam and Nkauj Ntsum.
One day, Tub Tuam and Maiv Mim went to see the doctor about why Maiv Mim was not getting pregnant either. It was during this visit that the same doctor finally revealed that he had told Tub Tuam's first wife, Nkauj Ntsum, a while back that the reason why they were unable to bear children was the fault of Tub Tuam. This discovery made Tub Tuam distressful.
While going through the mails one day, Tub Tuam stumbled upon a letter sent to him by Nkauj Ntsum, asking him about his welfare. In the letter, she told him that she was still missing him a lot and that if they were really meant to be, they would meet one another again. After reading the letter, Tub Tuam saw that the envelop had no return address. He mumbled about how cruel Nkauj Ntsum was to send him a letter without her mailing address. However, he was a bit wiftul too and discovered a Seattle stamp on the envelop. He wasted no time, and took the next available flight to Seattle to find Nkauj Ntsum.
But when he arrived in Seattle, no matter where he searched or who he called, he could not find Nkauj Ntsum's whereabout. One night, he decided to go drink at a bar to release his stress, and it turned out to be the same bar that Nkauj Ntsum had taken a volunteer job as a night singer. However, Tub Tuam was a bit late and had just missed Nkauj Ntsum by a few seconds that night.
The next day, Tub Tuam's search for Nkauj Ntsum was in futile once more. Losing all hopes on finding Nkauj Ntsum, he said that he was happy to just be in Seattle. Seeing the city was already like seeing Nkauj Ntsum herself, so he had no regret for coming. He then decided to spend his last night in Seattle at the bar he went to the night before. It was during this second time that he unexpectedly heard a familiar singing voice and turned to look. He was stunned to see that his elder wife, Nkauj Ntsum, was standing before him and singing on stage. She saw him too, and cried singing her song about a heartbroken love. Afterward, Nkauj Ntsum and Tub Tuam made up and she revealed to him that the reason why she hid the truth from him was because she did not want him to be disappointed in himself and wanted to find a way to help him first.
Tub Tuam brought Nkauj Ntsum back home. Upon their return, Maiv Mim took her suitcase and bid farewell to Tub Tuam. She revealed that she knew he never really loved her because he was always missing Nkauj Ntsum, and wished the two a happy life together. Before Maiv Mim drove away, Tub Tuam sent her his best wishes to find a suitable companion. Afterwards, Tub Tuam and Nkauj Ntsum tried different methods to help Tub Tuam and the movie ended with them having two cuddling children.
My Thoughts:
This is one of my most fondest childhood Hmong movies. I liked it so much that I watched it countless times as a kid (I'm sure as many of you probably have). But now as a young adult and rewatching the movie, I still enjoy it too but find a few flaws in the movie. Because I truly respect the movie, I will hold off on pointing out things that I think could have been improved upon. However, I will mention one thing and that is that I wished the director and/or screenwriter had expanded the ending a little more and made Nkauj Ntsum play hard to get. After all that Tub Tuam had put Nkauj Ntsum through, she forgave him too easily. Because this movie feels so ancient to me, one side of me really hopes for a fresh remake but the other side hopes that no one taps it for fear of ruining this original classic.
If you haven't seen this movie and would like to watch, click on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROzt_ZEUjHs
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