- The Vertical Ray of the Sun
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The Vertical Ray of the Sun 
US Movie PosterDirected by Tran Anh Hung Produced by Christophe Rossignon Written by Tran Anh Hung Starring Tran Nu Yên-Khê
Nguyen Nhu Quynh
Le KhanhMusic by Tôn-Thât Tiêt
Trinh Cong Son[1]Cinematography Pin Bing Lee Editing by Mario Battistel Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics Release date(s) July 6, 2001 Running time 112 minutes Country France
Germany
VietnamLanguage Vietnamese The Vertical Ray of the Sun is the third feature film by Vietnamese-born French director Trần Anh Hùng. 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, as well as in Halong Bay and the village of Luoi Ngoc, Quang Ninh Province.
The film's original score is composed by Tôn-Thât Tiêt. Additionally, three songs of the noted Vietnamese songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn are interspersed through the film, as are songs by the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Arab Strap, and The Married Monk.
The Vertical Ray of the Sun was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Contents
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.
Credited Cast
- Tran Nu Yên-Khê.... Lien
- Nguyen Nhu Quynh .... Suong
- Le Khanh .... Khanh
- Ngo Quang Hai .... Hai
- Chu Hung .... Quoc
- Tran Manh Cuong .... Kien
- Le Tuan Anh .... Tuan
- Le Ngoc Dung .... Huong
Alternate Titles
Vietnamese: Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng
UK title: At the Height of Summer
References
- ^ "Cuối cùng cho một tình yêu", "Nắng thủy tinh", "Rừng xưa đã khép"
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Vertical Ray of the Sun". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/5174/year/2000.html. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
External links
Cinema of Vietnam Actors • Directors • Films A-Z • Films shot in Vietnam • Chronology of films
Films directed by Tran Anh Hung 1990s The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) • Cyclo (1995)2000s The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000) • I Come with the Rain (2009)2010s Norwegian Wood (2010)Categories:- French films
- German films
- Vietnamese films
- Vietnamese-language films
- 2000 films
- 2000s drama films
- Films directed by Tran Anh Hung
- Films set in Vietnam
- Vietnam stubs
- 2000s drama film stubs
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