The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000)

With the brilliant Vietnamese summer as a setting Vertical Ray of the Sun is beautiful from beginning to end. The plot centres around three sisters, two of whom are happily married (or so ... See full summary »

Director:

Anh Hung Tran (as Tran Anh Hung)

Writer:

Anh Hung Tran (as Tran Anh Hung)

Stars:

Nu Yên-Khê Tran, Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Khanh Le

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nu Yên-Khê Tran	...	Lien (as Tran Nu Yên-Khê)
Nhu Quynh Nguyen	...	Suong
Khanh Le	...	Khanh (as Le Khanh)
Quang Hai Ngo	...	Hai
Chu Hung	...	Quoc
Manh Cuong Tran	...	Kien
Tuân Anh Lê	...	Tuan
Ngoc Dung Le	...	Huong
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Thi Hai Yen Do
Doan Viet Ha
Long Le Vu
Aidan Nguyen
Anh Tuan

Storyline

With the brilliant Vietnamese summer as a setting Vertical Ray of the Sun is beautiful from beginning to end. The plot centres around three sisters, two of whom are happily married (or so it appears). The youngest sister is single and living with her cute older brother, whom she is desperately in love with. A second sister is married to a man who has another woman and child elsewhere whom he loves just as much as his wife -with a few conditions, she agrees to carry on with the marriage. The third sister and her husband are overjoyed to discover she is pregnant, and though he is tempted, her husband remains loyal to her. Charming, slow-paced, face value, family saga film.

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Plot Keywords:

hanoi vietnam | marriage | sibling incest subtext | writer | writer's block | 

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Taglines:

One day. Many lives. A family. Lovers. An eternity. A hope. A delay. A secret. Happiness. Lies. One summer.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some sex-related material

Details

Official Sites:

Lazennec (French, english) [France]

Country:

Vietnam France Germany

Language:

Vietnamese

Release Date:

24 May 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

The Vertical Ray of the Sun

Filming Locations:

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,339, 8 July 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$456,387, 30 December 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte France Cinéma, Canal+, Hang Phim Truyen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2010 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Rung Xua Da Khep
Written by Cong Son Trinh
Performed by Vu Tranh Xuan and Nguyen Quang

User Reviews

Stunningly beautiful cinematography

Unlike some of the other comments seen here, I thought this movie was a real gem. The Director of Photography gets kudos on this one, as every scene was like viewing fine art. Yes, certainly, there were times when the writer/director was asking the audience to put more meaning into a scene than was warranted, but overall the plot was enjoyable and based on true human emotions. The movie also invoked a certain mood of longing, that was aided by weather variations (especially rain) and the overall set design. I'd recommend this movie to anyone with a discernible eye and an appreciation for the attempt/accomplishment at making grand strokes on film. It is eye-candy all the way, and the bevy of beautiful people certainly doesn't detract from that.