The Big Picture

  • The Young Wife explores the anxiety around marriage, featuring stunning imagery and a star-studded cast.
  • The main couple navigates doubts and a psychedelic adventure as they prepare for marriage.
  • Director Tayarisha Poe describes the film as chaotic, offering an emotional journey through the idea of lifelong commitment.

From the very first scenes shown in the trailer for The Young Wife, you can tell that there's something different about the new movie. The story tackles one of the most important questions that you can ask yourself in life: are you ready for marriage? And a follow-up: is anyone ever ready for it? The movie stars Kiersey Clemons (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) and Leon Bridges (First Man) as a young couple in love, and it is set to arrive on digital on May 31.

If the trailer is any indication, The Young Wife will be a journey through the angst that everyone goes through when the time comes to tie the knot. It's natural to second-guess ourselves when faced with life-changing decisions, and Celestina (Clemons) will not only listen to what everyone has to say about it but also enter a psychedelic adventure that illustrates the woes of an anxious mind. Luckily for Celestina, her husband-to-be River (Bridges) is pretty chill about the whole thing, and seems decided to quash any doubts that his bride has.

Aside from all the themes and chaos, the trailer for The Young Wife also makes it clear that the movie has some stunning imagery and moments that are sure to get burned into your memory. Last but not least, there's the whole energy of a wedding party that will be present throughout the story. Whether it ends well for Celestina and River or not, they're sure to have the time of their lives on their wedding day.

'The Young Wife' Features a Star-Studded Cast

the-young-wife-poster
Image via Republic Pictures

If all of that is not enough to convince you to check out The Young Wife, the star-studded ensemble cast is sure to do the trick. Aside from Clemons and Bridges, it also features Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Judith Light (Shining Vale), Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Aya Cash (The Boys), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), Aida Osman (Rap Sh!t), Jon Rudnistsky (Saturday Night Live) and Michaela Watkins (The Dropout).

The Young Wife is directed and written by Tayarisha Poe (Selah and the Spades). The filmmaker talked to IndieWire during the movie's early screenings at SXSW and hinted that the story is indeed supposed to be chaotic. She also called it "an antidote to a plague of loneliness" and "a tonic for being alive" — the sort of emotions that people go through when contemplating the idea of spending the rest of their lives with their significant other.

The Young Wife premieres digitally on May 31. You can watch the trailer below.