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The vertical ray of the sun (À la verticale de l'été) - Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Quang Hai Ngo, Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Anh Hung Tran

Threat advisory: Severe - Severe risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

The story of three sisters who live close to each other in present-day Hanoi.

Lien (Tran Nu Yên-Khê), the youngest sister, shares an apartment with her younger brother Hai (Quang Hai Ngo) and works as a waitress in the café run by their oldest sister Suong (Nhu Quynh Nguyen). Suong is married to Quoc (Chu Hung), a photographer, with whom she has a small boy nicknamed Little Mouse. The middle sister, Khan (Le Khanh) is married to Kien (Manh Cuong Tran), a writer about to finish his first novel.

The film unfolds during the course of one month. it starts on the anniversary of the mother's death and ends on the day of the anniversary of the father's death.

on the anniversary of their mother's death, the sisters meet at Suong's café to pray, prepare the memorial meal and greet their relatives. throughout the day, they are seen to have an intense and playful complicity, sharing laughter and seeking one another's advice on every subject, even the most intimate. yet, each one of them has a secret. at the end of the day, while reminiscing about their mother, the sisters bring up the subject of a mysterious man - nicknamed Mother's Toan - who seems to have been part of their mother's past. it has cast a shadow on the idealised image they have of their parents as an indestructible couple, while affecting each one of them in their own relationships.

Persons of interest

Tran Nu Yên-Khê .... Lien
Nhu Quynh Nguyen .... Suong
Le Khanh .... Khanh
Quang Hai Ngo .... Hai
Chu Hung .... Quoc
Manh Cuong Tran .... Kien
Le Tuan Anh .... Tuan
Ngoc Dung Le .... Huong
Anh Hung Tran .... Screenwriter
Anh Hung Tran .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Vertical ray of the sun official movie site
Awards and film festivals:

Cinematic Intelligence Agency Trenchcoat Awards 2002
Silk Screen

NB: Vietnamese language dialogue with English language subtitles
Studios and distributors:

Sony Pictures Releasing

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

*Sighs*

Sometimes I have to sit through films that are so bad that I wonder how anyone could possibly think that they needed to be made: dialogue that reads like the phone book, actors who were cast from a street directory, technique that was inspired by an astrological forecast and design that was decided by a roll of the dice. Hundreds of millions of dollars are poured into films like this by Hollywood film studios in the vain hope that the sheer weight of numbers will produce a blockbuster. I count myself lucky that I don't live in the USA because the worst of Hollywood's pap is filtered out by failure at the American box office.

*Shudders*

The vertical ray of the sun is not one of those films, for many reasons.

It was not made in the USA.
It was not made in Hollywood.
It was not made with Hollywood money.
It was not made by people who get paid more money for appearing in one film than most people earn in their whole lives.
It was not made in a culture that invents cheese in a spray can.
It was not made in a country that invades other countries just so that the president can get re-elected.

Aren't you glad you live in the southern hemisphere?

The vertical ray of the sun is one of the most beautiful, personal, enchanting and awe-inspiring films that you will ever have the chance to see. The cinematography is perfect. Not good, not great, not wonderful, not astounding. It is perfect. From hazy mornings to rain-filled afternoons, from crowded city to empty country, from folds of cloth to beads of sweat, everything is... perfect. Pin Bing Lee is the master of his craft and is also responsible for the masterful In the mood for love. He could make asphalt look like a Renoir.

The stories that interweave to make The vertical ray of the sun are each intriguing in their own right but when taken together form something that tantalises while leaving you sated. It is not merely synergy, it is the universe in your hand; it is a glimpse that gives complete understanding.

[Enough praise, people will think you're a nice person - Director of Intelligence.]

The vertical ray of the sun is a film that makes Sony Pictures Releasing's Silk Screen season worthwhile all on its own. See it.