At the height of summer = Vertical ray of the sun = Mua he chieu thang dung

Tran Anh Hung’s “At the Height of Summer” conveys the complexity and beauty of life in a completely unsentimental and un-moralistic manner. The story centres on a trio of sisters who live in contemporary Hanoi and whose closeness reflects the sanctity of the family. The duration of the story is one month and is framed by the celebration of their mother and father’s death anniversaries respectively. Beneath the surface of familial tranquillity and calmness, however, lies a sea of anxiety and instability. The elder sister is married to a husband who harbours a shocking secret; the middle sister questions her husband’s loyalty just as they are beginning a family; and the youngest sister, a strong and idealistic woman, experiences unrequited love whilst having a strong affinity for her brother that is only shades away from being a true relationship. Although “At the Height of Summer” does not contain the same overt political references as “Cyclo”, the same stylistic flair evident in that film continues here. Almost every shot in “At the Height of Summer” is filled with the abundant surface beauty of the world. From facial close-ups of the elegant sisters to a ray of light to a pelter of rain to a dead chicken’s hand to the passing of time, Hung captures the sensuousness of everyday Hanoi in a riveting, truly compelling manner. And in this way, his film assumes an air of poetry and lyricism that lends its subject-matter a sense of profound humility. Cast includes Tran Nu Yen-Khe, Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Chu Hung, Le Tuan Anh. In Vietnamese with English subtitles.