What strikes most people about The Vertical Ray of the Sun is how idyllic Tran Anh Hung captures Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital– lush greens, the summer sunshine softened by mosquito nets, scored by the birds and the neighborhood kids and a mix of early 00s soft rock and traditional Vietnamese songs. These visuals are so beautiful that it distracts from fairly turbulent conflicts in the three relationships present in the film, the unfulfilled desires they feel, some totally forbidden, some stemming from past generations, which makes the PG rating all the more surprising. But even as the drama unfolds, the feeling of a languid summer afternoon never fades, painting the melodramatic troubles under a peaceful veneer, made subtle and humorous with the way the sisters joke, make innuendoes, and decide on family matters together.
Hanoi comes across almost picture-perfect in director Tran Anh Hung's beautiful, elegiac tale about the lives and loves of three Vietnamese sisters. A mood characteristic of Hung's films is set early on with the vivid sounds of birds, insects and water and the way the lighting enhances the subtle use of color. They all combine to gem-like effect here.
On the anniversaries of their parents’ deaths, three sisters in present day Hanoi, Khanh, Suong, Lien, meet at Suong’s cafe to pray and prepare a memorial banquet, bringing along their husbands and their only brother. In the month between, the secrets between the sisters and their lovers are shared, revealing the imperfections between each relationship.
The way the plot and the visuals contrast drastically… If you aren’t paying attention, you’ll totally miss it.
I feel like I imagined some of the plot, but the calm way the film feels makes me think that the sexual elements are entirely imagined.
Cannes
1 nomination
