in present day hanoi , three sisters reflect on their parents ' relationship while trying to define their own in writer / director tran anh hung 's ( " the scent of green papaya " ) " the vertical ray of the sun .
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youngest sister lien ( tran nu yen - khe ) greets the day with hai ( ngo quanq hai ) , the only brother whom she rooms and relentlessly flirts with .
their morning ritual of tai chi and lou reed precedes crossing the street to eldest sister suong 's ( nguyen nhu quynh )
cafe , where lien works , for breakfast .
the three sisters lovingly prepare their mother 's memorial banquet of traditional delicacies , prepared as much for look as taste , while giggling over the differences between the sexes .
after the family breaks from the banquet , we learn that suong 's young son ' little monkey ' is doted upon , but there 's a distance developing with her husband quoc ( chu ngoc hung ) , who 's leaving for one of his habitual botanical photography trips .
middle sister khanh ( tran manh cuong ) tells her writer husband
she 's pregnant before he leaves on a trip to saigon to research tuan , a mysterious man in his mother - in - law 's past .
lien keeps crawling into hai 's bed at night , causing him to fall out of it .
the initial serenity we witnessed starts turning into a soap opera before coming to full circle one month later , as the three women prepare their father 's memorial banquet .
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the vertical ray of the sun " is a contemplative piece where strong passions exist underneath calm exteriors .
sly humor , self deceit and harsh truths
all exist in the cyclic screenplay .
tran anh hung and his cinematographer mark
lee ping - bin ( " flowers of shanghai " ) linger over and repeat the small gestures of everyday life - a wife washes her husbands hands , a woman makes water dance in a bowl , a man pulls his lover to face him before they part .
small spaces such as rooms , alleys and courtyards create intimacy .
the color green , symbolizing life and tranquility , is used heavily in the film 's visual styling , lapsing into yellowish hues and blues .
writer / director tran
anh hung 's film recalls
ang lee 's " eat drink man woman , " another tale of three sisters of varying modernity coming together traditionally for a parent .
but while lee 's more traditionally story - driven film resulted in radical changes for all concerned , " the vertical ray of the sun 's " characters strive for peaceful harmony .
watching it is like trailing your fingertips in a stream on a cool spring day .
watching it is like trailing your fingertips in a stream on a cool spring day