The Vertical Ray of the Sun

Infidelity and sexual awakening involving three Hanoi sisters form the heart of this sensual, sometimes confusing Chekovian melodrama. The youngest sibling lives with her brother in a spacious apartment. She flirts with him constantly and works as a waitress in the Hanoi café owned by her oldest sister, who is married to a photographer. The middle sister is married to a writer who must overcome writer’s block to finish his first novel. Amidst the bustle and lushness of modern Vietnam this trio of females share intimate secrets, make discoveries about their men and learn of the vulnerability of all relationships. Director Tran Anh Hung’s (Cyclo, The Scent of the Green Papaya) languid pacing is complemented by Mark Lee Ping-Bin’s (In the Mood for Love) gorgeous photography and songs by the Velvet Underground.