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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sensual Masterpiece, 30 May 2003
Tran Anh Hung has given us a distinct impression of Vietnam through his films, and that impression is one of sensuality and beauty. Wheras in "The Scent of Green Papaya," the main focus was on nature, here Tran has turned his camera loose on human sensuality, in all its glorious incarnations. It is a dish seasoned with all the right spices, giving us a richly flavored and mystery filled dining experience.The story revolves around three beautiful sisters of various ages, living together as a family unit. Two sisters are married and one of those has a child. Together with a younger brother, an extended and supportive family unit is formed in Hanoi. As Tran captures the beauty outside of their home, however, he begins to focus on what lies beneath the surface, and what begins as a tiny sprinkle, becomes a steady rain of sensuality. The outward happiness and tranquility of this extended family belies what Tran shows us, pulling back the curtain slowly to reveal deep secrets and shocking deceptions. Always present, is the sisters' search for the truth regarding the romance of their parents, which is shrouded in mystery. Ravishingly beautiful Tran Nu Yen Khe portrays the single sister, Lien. She and her 'big brother' have a flirtatious and teasingly erotic relationship that causes many on the streets of Hanoi to believe they are a couple. Only in the final moments of this film will we come to understand a sensual family history is repeating itself. The lush foilage of Vietnam and the lovely city of Hanoi are wonderfully brought to life by Tran, and an excellent sountrack enhances the unique atmosphere of another impressionistic rendering of a place and its people by one of the great directors. Perhaps Tran's greatest achievement here, however, is a feeling of sensuality you can almost touch. Once again he has turned a movie into a film, and that film into art. You can not go wrong purchasing this Vietnamese delicacy. The Vertical Ray of the Sun is shining straight down on the human heart.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
LUSH LOOKING, 9 Dec 2007
In Tran Anh Hung's lovely tone poem The Vertical Ray of the Sun, three sisters Lien (Tran Nu Yên-Khê), Suong (Nhu Quynh Nguyen), and Khanh (Le Lhanh) on the eve of memorial dinners for their departed parents reveal previously hidden details to each other about their marital infidelity. It is the end of summer in Hanoi and the atmosphere is languid. These are not the mean streets of Saigon in Tran's Cyclo but the elegant abode of Hanoi's artists and intellectuals, devoid of urban decay, intimately bathed in color and pastoral beauty. The opening scene sets the mood. The youngest sister, 19-year old Lien slowly awakens in the apartment she shares with her brother Hai (Quang Hai Ngo). As Hai does push-ups, lien stretches, her graceful Tai Chi movements beautifully choreographed to the rhythm of The Velvet Underground.
They joke about the fact that outsiders see them as a couple as they walk hand-in-hand through the markets, but Lien does nothing to discourage this perception and is shown crawling into bed with her brother each night. The sisters operate a café and the conversation is as steamy as is the food they are preparing for the annual memorial dinner for their departed mother. Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bin who filmed Flowers of Shanghai and In the Mood for Love washes the scene in a glow of different shades of green as they joke and tell stories about their longing to fry the male anatomy in garlic. The discussion veers to a discussion of their mother's possible infidelity with a fellow student but they are reluctant to admit that their parent's relationship may have been less than ideal.
Gradually we also learn about the sisters' marital problems. Suong is married to Quoc (Chu Hung), a botanical photographer. Since they had a miscarriage four years prior, he has had a secret life with another woman in the remote Bay of Halong. In one meditative scene in a boat with an old fisherman, Quoc sums up the meaning of the film, "One should live where one's soul is in harmony, where it is in accord with its surroundings". When he is away on trips visiting his second family, Suong carries on an affair with Tuan (Le Tuen Anh) out of a need to feel loved and wanted. Khanh's husband is Kien (Tran Manh Cuong), a writer who is working on finishing his first novel.
After finding out that his wife is pregnant, he almost betrays her in a Saigon hotel, but remains faithful. Lien, meanwhile, naive about sexuality, has a boyfriend and thinks she is pregnant simply because she had sex one time. The family deals with these problems together, viewing them as an opportunity for forgiveness and growth rather than confrontation. Vertical Ray of the Sun is a sensual experience that unfolds in its own time, a pace geared to an Asian timetable not a Western one. It is a film of ineffable beauty but can be confusing on first viewing with multiple characters, frequent jump cuts, and time discontinuity.
Individual scenes stand out in memory: Khanh singing a traditional Vietnamese song alone in the garden and Kien's loving discovery of her secret (how gratifying it is to see a romantic scene between married couples); Lien's slow dance in her apartment to The Velvet Underground, her long black hair glistening in the sun; and Lien's playful seduction of Hai interrupted by his request for boiled sweet potatoes. Though concerned with extra marital affairs, the film is not about infidelity but the intrusive effects of modern society on Asian family life. In Vertical Ray of the Sun, he has created an antidote -- an aesthetic picture of a Vietnam unsullied by the memory of war, a culture of nature and tradition, encompassing the Buddhist value of compassion and the Confucian ideal of harmony. It may exist, however, only in his vision.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful film on human relations, 3 Sep 2006
A wonderful film by master director Tran Anh Hung who gave us a series of equally well directed productions.
This film is all about human relations blend with wonderful music and an exceptional photography.
The actors took up their roles in a balanced way with each one able to show his/her best while at the same time to complement each other in a harmony of acting.
The music is spectacular combining well-chosen western music and Vietnamese.
It is of a particular importance to notice the sound of this film. Background sounds and effects strengthened by splendid photography make the viewer to feel the heat of the tropics, the rain and humidity and the coolness of the garden of the backyard.
But the most important aspect is the human relation, all presented for what they are in real life. While able to strengthen the virtues of fidelity does not condemn infidelity, while praising family ties and values does not shy away from questioning believes.
The photography is superb with the director of photography able to capture the sun, the bight areas and combine them perfectly with shades.
The contrast of the clean spotless dresses in bright colours with the run down walls of a city in the tropics is something one can notice and appreciate.
The collection of small details of the daily life that could have gone unnoticed become through the photography part of the beauty of this film.
The music is acting also as a tool of symbolism and one must pay attention to the beautiful group singing.
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