Themes: Sibling Relationships, Mothers and Daughters, Crumbling Marriages
Main Cast: Le Khanh, Nhu Quynh, Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Chu Hung
Release Year: 2000
Country: VN/FR
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
From the director of Cyclo and The Scent of Green Papaya comes this tale of three sisters who live in close proximity in present-day Hanoi. Lien (Tran Nu Yen Khe), the youngest sister, shares an apartment with her younger brother Hai (Ngo Quang Hai) and works at a cafe run by oldest sister Suong (Nguyen Nhu Quynh). Suong is the wife of Quoc (Chu Hung), a photographer with whom she has a son. The middle sibling Khan (Le Khanh) is married to Kien (Tran Manh Cuong), a writer in the midst of finishing his first novel. Over the course of one month, the family is convened for the anniversary of the death of the sisters' mother and when reminiscing about their departed matriarch, they bring up the memory of a mysterious man who seems to have been part of their mother's past. Kien begins to look for clues about Toan's identity, and Suong reveals that she has been involved with another man. Lien is sharing sleeping quarters with her brother Hai while keeping track of her flighty boyfriend, and fantasizes about being pregnant. During their husbands' absences, Khan and Suong have a deep conversation about fidelity and reveal secrets they have kept inside for some time; when their husbands return, they begin to question their faithfulness and dedication to them. The Vertical Ray of the Sun screened at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Cast
Tran Nu Yên-Khê - Lien
Chu Hung - Quoc
Tran Manh Cuong - Kien; Le Tuan Anh - Tuan; Nhu Quynh; Le Khanh
Credit
Ludovic Bernard - First Assistant Director, Tran Anh Hung - Director, Benoit Barouh - Production Designer, Mark Lee Ping-bing - Cinematographer, Christophe Rossignon - Producer, Dominique Dalmasso - Sound/Sound Designer, Tran Anh Hung - Screenwriter
The Vertical Ray of the Sun (Vietnamese: Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng; UK title: At the Height of Summer) is the third feature film by the Vietnamese-born French director Trần Anh Hùng, made with French funding. It was released in 2000 and is the third film in what many now consider to be his "Vietnam trilogy." It was filmed in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, as well as in Halong Bay and the village of Luoi Ngoc, Quang Ninh Province. Hùng was inspired to make the film after visiting Hanoi during a break in the filming of Cyclo during the Christmas holidays in 1994.
The film is a family drama centering on three sisters, named (from oldest to youngest) Suong, Khanh, and Lien. The character of Lien is played by Trần's wife, Trần Nữ Yên Khê.
