''The Vertical Ray of the Sun'' ( vi, Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng) is the third feature film by Vietnamese-born French director

Trần Anh Hùng Trần Anh Hùng (born December 23, 1962) is a Vietnamese people, Vietnamese-born French film director and screenwriter. Early life Hùng was born in Mỹ Tho, South Vietnam. Following the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, h ...

. It was released in 2000 and is the final part of what many now consider to be Tran's "Vietnam trilogy." The film centres on three sisters who live in present-day Hanoi: Suong is the eldest, then Khanh in the middle, and Lien is the youngest. The film takes place over the course of one month, starting on the anniversary of their mother's death and ending on the anniversary of their father's. Tran was inspired to make the film after visiting Hanoi during a break in the filming of '' Cyclo'' during the Christmas holidays in 1994. This drama was lensed in Vietnam's capital,

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

, as well as in

Hạ Long Bay Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay ( vi, Vịnh Hạ Long, ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Lo ...

and the village of Luoi Ngoc, Quảng Ninh Province. The film's original score is composed by

Tôn-Thất Tiết Tôn-Thất Tiết (born 1933 in Huê) is a Vietnamese-born French music composer. His double-character family name is Tôn Thất, his given name Tiết (尊室節). Biography Born in Huê in central Vietnam in 1933, Tiet came to Paris in 1958 ...

. Additionally, three songs of the noted Vietnamese songwriter

Trịnh Công Sơn Trịnh Công Sơn (February 28, 1939 – April 1, 2001) was a Vietnamese, musician, songwriter, painter and poet. He is widely considered to be Vietnam's best songwriter. His music explores themes of love, loss, and anti-war sentiments during ...

are interspersed through the film, as are songs by

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...

, and

The Married Monk ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. ''The Vertical Ray of the Sun'' was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

2000 Cannes Film Festival The 53rd Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2000. French film director, screenwriter, and producer Luc Besson was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film ''Dancer in the Dark'' by Lars von Trier. The fe ...

Plot

On the anniversary of their mother's death, three sisters in contemporary Hanoi meet to prepare a memorial banquet. After the banquet, the calm exteriors of the sisters' lives begin to give way to more turbulent truths, which will affect their seemingly idyllic relationships. The eldest sister has a small boy nicknamed Little Mouse, and botanical photographer husband Quoc, who is prone to long absences from home. The middle sister has recently discovered that she is pregnant to her husband Kien, who is a writer suffering from writer's block. The flirtatious youngest sister constantly fantasises about being pregnant, and lives with her brother Hai, for whom she has a deep affection. With the brilliant Vietnamese summer as a setting, Vertical Ray of the Sun is beautiful from beginning to end, a charming, slow-paced, face value, family saga film.

Cast

* Tran Nu Yen Khe as Lien (Liên) * Nguyễn Như Quỳnh as Suong (Sương) * Le Khanh as Khanh (Khanh) * Ngo Quang Hai as Hai (Hải) * Chu Hung as Quoc (Quốc) * Tran Manh Cuong as Kien (Kiên) * Le Tuan Anh as Tuan (Tuấn) * Le Ngoc Dung as Huong (Hương) *

Do Thi Hai Yen Do, DO or D.O. may refer to: Languages * The English verb, ''do'', which may serve as an auxiliary verb; see do-support * ''Do'' (kana), a mora symbol in Japanese writing * Ditto mark People * Đỗ, a Vietnamese surname * Do (surname), includes ...

as Quoc's concubine

Alternate Titles

vi, Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng UK title: ''At the Height of Summer''

References

External links

*
Official siteRotten Tomatoes entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vertical Ray of the Sun, The 2000 films 2000 drama films French drama films German drama films Vietnamese-language films Vietnamese drama films Films directed by Tran Anh Hung Films set in Vietnam Films set in Hanoi Sony Pictures Classics films 2000s French films 2000s German films