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:

marriage | hanoi | sibling incest subtext | extramarital affair | writer | 

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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

Pale Blue Eyes
Written by Lou Reed
Performed by The Velvet Underground

User Reviews

Beautiful and Slow

As the opening credits rolled at the cultural center in Hawaii where I saw this film I noticed it was produced by canal+. "Ah, a french production. I may as well make myself comfortable because not much of anything will happen for the next two hours" I thought to myself. I was only partially right. "Vertical Ray of the Sun" is one of the most languid movies I have seen in a long time, taking it's time to slowly introduce us to the characters and give us a glimpse of their world. There is beauty, drama, sorrow, joy but as with most french productions none of it has any semblance of a plot line. There is no build up, no exposition, and no conclusion. At one point the movie ends and the credits roll. What there is, is a great deal of magnificent cinematography. If you have the chance to view this film take some time to appreciate the way light plays in the background, the contrast of color between foreground and background, the composition of each shot. Then again don't worry about taking your time.. the movie will give you plenty of time to stop and admire.