THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN
Liên, wake up.
Little sister! Get up!
Liên, it's late.
Let me sleep a bit more.
No way. Today is Mum's memorial.
You have to help big sisters in the kitchen.
Remember yesterday when we were in Cha Ca Street?
It was crowded. And I had a weird feeling.
What?
I thought that people mistook us for a couple.
Haven't you ever noticed that?
No.
In fact...
maybe that's how people always see us.
Knock it off. Go wash up.
Let's go, big brother.
Hurry up, I'm starving.
- Sit opposite me. - Let me sit next to you...
so we see the same things.
You're horrible.
You never do what I want.
We look good together, right?
- Don't talk rubbish. - What for?
- We were made for each other. - Everyone knows you're my sister.
Better think about what to buy with big sisters instead.
I don't decide what we're eating. It's always the traditional dishes.
Exactly. So don't forget anything.
I'm sick of running to the market for two lemons.
Probably a couple of shallots.
- What? - Nothing.
Khanh, do I throw out the seeds?
No, cook the rice with it, it will be nicer.
And the pâté? One inch or two?
- Let's see. Too thick. - One inch is fine.
Agreed. Liên, those shallots shoots?
My God, I forgot.
- Kiên could buy some. - Let your husband be.
Writers only know about the human soul.
He can't tell shallots from chives.
But my husband, he knows his plants.
You're right.
You should send Hai, he'd love to do it.
Okay, if the elders are chatting, I'll send little brother.
I photographed this fruit in Huê.
I'll spare you its scientific name.
It's eaten with pickled prawns. You only find it in Huê.
Hai!
Go buy some shallots! Liên says you love the market.
Yes, that's right. Kiên, can I take your bike?
- Is the café open? - No, only from six o'clock.
Auntie Mai, bring me two trays.
Yes, right away.
Quôc, the other day you said that apart from business...
you take photos for yourself. Why don't you show them?
I'd really like to see them.
I'm not happy with them.
I say that because, in your photos for the Botanical Society...
there are no faces.
And in your personal photos there are?
Yes, of course.
They are mostly portraits.
But I think photos of plants give me greater pleasure.
In them, there is a tranquility you can't find in a face.
It's tranquility I look for in a photograph.
I think I get you.
But all the same, in my opinion...
you have a real problem with faces.
I will demonstrate that your opinion is a writer's fantasy.
This is my favorite part.
It's strange. Satisfying and disgusting at the same time.
It's true. We women are condemned to disgusting things.
In the old days, we couldn't touch a man's head.
That noble part of the body must not be soiled by our hands.
but men have always liked and allowed us...
...to touch another thing. - Exactly.
So is that thing considered noble?
We must conclude that it isn't since we're allowed to touch it.
- It must be classified as disgusting. - I don't find it so very disgusting.
- On the contrary. - What do you mean?
Oh, well... you could call it a culinary fantasy.
What?
Listen, I always thought that...
fried with a little garlic, it must have an amazing texture.
Both tender and crunchy.
It's not easy to talk about a photo point-blank.
I'd accept that excuse from anyone...
but not from a writer. Words are your business.
You exaggerate.
Are you open, Quôc?
- Oh, hello, Kiên. - Come in, Toàn.
- Liên will make you a coffee. - No, I just came to say hello.
So, Kiên, when is your first novel coming out?
Oh, there's no hurry. I'm working on it.
- But it's going well? - In fact, I'm nearly finished.
There's little left to write, but I'm blocked.
It's about an encounter.
Usually, that happens at the beginning or in the middle.
But here, it's at the end.
The protagonist meets a woman.
I want to write it concisely and end abruptly.
I can't wait to read it.
- Big brother Toàn. - Big sister Liên.
An iced coffee?
Make up your minds, you two, it's getting ridiculous.
She calls you "big brother" and you call her "big sister".
It can't be. It's actually absurd.
- What's the problem? - We were born the same day.
- What time were you born? - That's it, I don't know.
I know when I was, but it doesn't help.
- Nobody knows at home? - No, nobody.
Sorry, I have to help my sisters in the kitchen.
If you find a solution let me know...
and I'll stick to it.
Look, here's how I see it. She already calls you "big brother".
Call her "little sister" like husbands and wives do.
Who says I want to marry her?
- Just look at you. - What are you talking about?
The boy wants to marry our sister-in-law.
Oh, yeah?
Easy as a pie. Betel leaves and arec nuts for the engagement...
then a wedding 6 months later.
But first he must learn to say "little sister Liên".
Okay, stop teasing me.
Where have you been, Little Mouse?
I went for a walk and I'm going to see Mommy.
Gorgeous. Not a crack in the skin.
Let's decorate the altar for the ceremony.
The incense is burnt. Let's carve the chicken.
Taste this wine, Uncle.
What luck! I was afraid you couldn't make it.
The memorial meal is a success.
We're hopeless. We should've learned with our mother.
Not at all. You're almost as good as she was.
Uncle Tung hasn't aged, has he?
Want some water?
Hai, want some?
- I ate too much, didn't you? - Yes.
Me too.
- I don't think I'll eat tonight. - Me neither.
What would you say to some snails in ginger?
- Now, that I could eat. - Me too, come to think of it.
Good, that's settled.
- Shall we continue? - Start with the registry office.
So I was saying that Kiên became more and more interested...
as he discovered new clues.
After examining the register and putting aside the unlikely ones...
he arrived at the theory that Mother's Toàn...
was a certain Phan Châu Toàn.
They were at the same school for 5 years, which supports his theory.
Then it must be that Toàn.
Why only 5 years?
Because Toàn died of starvation in '43 during the Japanese occupation.
Mommy was 14 then.
So it was a schoolgirl crush?
Hang on, it's a theory, not a certainty.
Kiên hasn't checked with this Toàn's family yet.
They moved to Saigon in'54.
He'll have to go to Saigon. And be lucky enough to find a relative...
who may have got wind of this love story.
It can only be this Toàn.
I say that because according to this theory...
it's a case of puppy love.
At the end, when Mum wasn't all there...
and mistook Dad for Toàn, she was reliving her childhood.
That's why she spoke to him like a shy little girl.
she told him that she loved him so innocently...
that it brought tears to Dad's eyes.
Like I said, this is only a theory.
And I tell you that Kiên's research will confirm what I believe.
It can't be otherwise. It's obvious.
Me, too...
I believe this version of the story.
Our mother could never have loved any man...
but Daddy.
I know in my heart that she was faithful.
I'm sure of it.
Dad and Mum were always together, they were inseparable.
The proof is that a month after Mum died...
he followed her.
There's something perfect about their relationship.
And remember what we've said a thousand times.
Mum was one month older than Dad.
He died one month after her...
which means that they lived almost the same lifetime...
give or take an hour...
by our reckoning.
Poor Daddy. I wonder how much he suffered.
If he had known that Toàn was a crush, it would have been different.
We should ask Kiên to stop looking.
- What to you think? - Liên's right. He must stop.
He'll be disappointed.
Here come the snails.
Bring us some napkins.
Please, Suong.
Liên, Toàn wants something.
- I'll go see. - Toàn has the worst name on earth.
I find Guôc so proper, so perfect, he's almost bland.
It's as if every desire had deserted his body.
Some live out their fantasies.
Others, like me, are content to write about them.
But Quôc is 100% fantasy free. Not an ounce of imagination.
Anyway, Suong told me that she's not satisfied.
How do you mean?
You know.
- I'm not surprised. - Don't show off.
You've got work to do in that department.
How annoying. You moved it.
- Should I put it back? - Absolutely not!
Just when did you get in my bed?
In the middle of the night, I was cold.
Next time, I'll chuck you on the floor.
You know you'd never do that.
Because of you, I fell out of bed this morning.
Forgive me, big brother.
It's not nice to fall out of bed.
Oh, poor you...
What do you want to eat? Sticky rice?
Excuse me? Two portions for my brother and one for me.
Daddy's going away. He'll be back in a few days.
See Daddy over there?
- When is Quôc coming back? - In two weeks.
The radio says it will rain. What do you think?
Yes, it looks like it.
Little Mouse!
I gave an errand this afternoon, I'll be back around 5 o'clock.
I'm pregnant.
Is that right? Are you sure?
It's strange. All of a sudden, I'm exhausted.
I think I'll take a nap.
You go sleep. I'll wake you up for lunch.
You're white as a sheet.
Remember the last time I was like this?
Yes, when I said I would marry you.
Have you told your sisters?
Not yet. It's our secret.
Let's keep it for a month or two, okay?
- Mum, can I draw? - Yes, go ahead.
- Where? - On the wall, if you want.
Liên...
- Yes? - I'm going out now.
I'll be back around 5 o'clock.
Okay.
Little Mouse, come here.
I want us to talk.
I can't take it anymore. This vow of silence...
I can't stand it anymore.
We meet again.
We love each other without a word.
I know nothing of your life now.
I miss the days when all we did was talk.
If you don't speak, I'll go crazy.
I can't stop looking at your lips.
Have you noticed?
I want to see them move.
You want to tell me something?
If...
you...
speak...
one...
more...
time...
we...
won't...
see...
each...
other...
ever...
again.
You're serious?
Okay. I'll stop talking.
But give in just once.
I want you to say my name.
Tuân. Say it.
Tuân.
Is that the thirteenth shot?
Yes.
- Nhân, want some water? - Yes, please.
I could do with some food.
There's nothing to eat.
Are they biting?
Big brother Hai...
turn off the alarm.
What about you?
I'm smoking because it's raining.
In fact, I don't really smoke.
The new painting, is it Vu's self-portrait?
This place is turning into a museum.
- I fell out of bed again. - Oh, poor you.
In the middle of the night.
I didn't hear you get up this morning.
Makes sense. I slept in your bed.
Oh, so that's why.
You took up all the room in my bed. I had to sleep in yours.
I'm sorry.
- Will you do my nails? - Bring me the file and clippers.
Good thing that it's raining. I have a scene in the rain tonight.
What type of part?
The usual. A tiny part that they edit out.
- Don't be silly. - I'm not being silly.
This will be my 17th film.
17 tiny parts that nobody notices.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself and tell me what happens instead.
Okay. Here goes...
I'm the heroine's one night stand.
I'm a mistake in her life.
A meaningless affair for her.
Nothing but the memory of a farewell in the rain.
That's the scene we're shooting tonight.
- A parting in the rain? - I know...
Don't tell me you've seen it a hundred times.
- That would be true. - No.
- It's lovely a farewell in the rain. - You think so?
Yes, I mean it. I really think so.
- I want to play the scene with you. - I haven't finished your nails.
It doesn't matter. We'll do it later.
So you're my one night stand.
A mistake in my life. So, what are my lines?
- You don't say anything. - And you?
I don't speak either. There's no dialogue.
Then what does it say in the script?
You have your back to me, you look ahead of you.
No, you look down.
I pull you by the arm, you turn around and we look at each other.
Okay. Wait.
I'm ready.
I'm hungry. The rain gives me a taste for boiled sweet potatoes.
You know...
I'm having trouble ending my novel.
Finding out about your mother's Toàn would do me good.
It would take me away from the book...
so I'd return with a fresh outlook.
I think it's a good idea.
What do you say?
I'll only be in Saigon for a week.
Your nails are too long. I'll cut them for you.
Don't worry. Mùi and Auntie Mai will manage.
But there are a lot of customers in the café.
I told Mùi to call if she needs help.
It's getting in my eyes.
I've finished your nails.
- Little Mouse, do you want some chè? - Yes, some chè.
- What are you doing in the rain? - Looking for Hoà. Have you seen him?
He wasn't in the class. Did you try his place?
- Yes. - And Café Quynh? He could be there.
- Thanks. Is Café Quynh that way? - I'll take you.
- Ah, Ninh. Hello. - Liên.
- How are you? - I'm looking for Hoà.
- Want to come in? - I'm too wet. Have you seen Hoà?
- Did you try his place? - Yes, an hour ago.
With this rain, if you don't find him at his place...
...you should go home. - Thanks...
but I'll wait outside his place. You never know.
- Bye. - Bye.
Did Liên leave?
She's still downstairs.
Listen, Hoà, I'm warning you, I won't help you anymore.
I think it stinks. Liên doesn't deserve it.
- What did she do to you? - I don't know.
Just a feeling.
I'm older than she is.
But she seems more mature than me.
I still don't follow you.
You're my best friend.
I'm not ashamed to tell you.
I think she dominates me.
You're an idiot!
Just now, I asked Liên to come in. Luckily, she refused.
Hoà heard you were waiting here. He's busy, he can't make it.
He'll meet you tomorrow. Three o'clock at the Café Quynh.
Thanks, Nghia. Three o'clock tomorrow, then.
- That's right. Bye, Liên. - Yes, thanks.
Let's go, Liên.
Hai, let's go this way.
- Give me some. - Dream on!
Hai, look. You didn't believe me.
They think we're a couple.
Big brother, I'm so sleepy.
We'll go home when it lets up.
That's lucky! Cyclo!
No one lives here?
No, not a soul.
This place would suit me.
Not me, it's too sad.
I don't think so.
One should live where one's soul is in harmony.
Where it is in accord with its surroundings.
Harmony can sometimes be a consolation.
I didn't realize you were so unhappy.
I know that living here isn't the solution.
Right now, I'm torn between two places...
that pull me with equal force.
If I choose one place...
even temporarily...
I feel guilty toward the other one.
With time, a guilty conscience...
turns into sadness.
I'm sorry that I can't help you.
What do you do when sadness overwhelms you?
I go down to the village to look for a woman and I snuggle up to her.
One of them is sweet and she likes me a lot.
When I'm sad I send for her...
and I lie down beside her.
That warm, damp flesh...
those soft hairs...
All of a sudden...
a terrible pain crosses my chest.
Then I thank heaven and I fall asleep.
If I have the bad luck to wake in the night...
and find her at my side...
the sadness I feel then, nothing can make it go away.
Flight VN 183 from Hanoi...
to Ho Chi Minh City.
Flight time is one hour and 45 minutes.
We wish you a pleasant flight.
This is Bui Kim Ngân. Did you reserve room 324 for me?
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Daddy!
Don't move a muscle.
I'm going back to Hanoi tomorrow. I must speak to Suong.
Are you sure it's the right thing to do?
I don't know, but I must.
I don't want to stop you.
For four years...
I've held my breath.
Both here and in Hanoi.
The burden on your heart...
I'm afraid of losing the moments when we are together.
I must speak to Suong.
Then leave tomorrow.
But don't promise me anything.
I'll wait for you.
If you come back...
it will make me happy.
Kiên!
Hiên? It's been ages!
Big sister...
can I ask you a question?
Yes.
It's very important to me.
So please answer even if it's an indiscreet question.
Okay, go ahead.
Has the...
idea of cheating on Quôc ever crossed your mind?
Why do you ask me that?
Just because.
I was wondering under what circumstances the thought might arise.
Does it bother you to answer?
Does it?
No...
it doesn't bother me.
The idea of cheating on Quôc occurred to me once.
It all started 4 years ago...
or 2 years after we married.
I can tell you now.
I was two months pregnant.
Only Quôc knew.
We decided...
to keep it a secret...
and only to tell you when I was in my third month.
That's why you never knew.
Quôc was away on business, and I miscarried.
He came home immediately.
And something in him had changed.
It was as if his life were on hold.
I couldn't get through to him.
And our marriage suffered.
Later, after Little Mouse was born...
the situation hadn't improved.
That's just when... he appeared.
It was one morning...
very early.
As soon as he entered the café, I felt a fondness for him.
It was a pleasure to wait on him.
I told myself...
that I wanted him to love me.
And then?
And then, we met elsewhere.
He told me he loved me. And it was true.
Did you and he have a thing together?
No, obviously not.
A few kisses. A few cuddles, that's all.
That's all. What do you mean?
He went back to Saigon.
He was a businessman.
He came to Hanoi...
to set up a branch office.
When the work was done, he left...
because I told him...
that our relationship had no future.
Do you still think about him?
Yes.
His name was Tuàn.
Right... let's go to sleep.
Thank you, big sister.
This time, you got into my bed.
You lie. You got into mine first.
I had to take yours. And then you came back.
That's how it happened.
- I don't remember a thing. - I remember too well.
Sometimes I wonder if it isn't time you got married.
I'm not kidding. You're old enough.
It's not a bad idea.
First of all, I'd have to find a man.
My ideal would be someone like you...
because you're good like Dad.
You really think I'm like him?
Yes, of course. I know you too well.
The problem is to find someone who is like you.
But what will you do once I'm married?
Who'll wash your clothes?
Who'll make your meals?
If that's what worries you, I'll manage.
I'll do even better than that.
At least I won't have to look at your stained panties...
next to my clean shirts when you have your period.
So ungrateful!
You're horrid! Baboon face!
Come and dance with me.
Suong, Quôc is back. He's upstairs.
- I'll go up. Can you manage? - Yes, Khan will help me. Go ahead.
- Quôc is upstairs. - I know. Liên told me.
Have you been back long?
Half an hour.
Do you want something to eat?
No.
Liên gave me some fruit.
I wasn't expecting you for four more days.
What's going on?
You're back?
- What are you doing? - I'm washing up and going up to bed.
I'm knackered.
- Did you work late, last night? - Worse than that. I worked until dawn.
I put away my pen and went to the airport.
Oh, poor darling!
Do you like to kiss me?
So, you finished your novel?
That's wonderful! You've been stuck for two months.
And, presto... In two days, it's done!
The protagonist meets a woman?
Did you end it in 17 pages as planned?
- 19. - Still very close to your estimate.
- You are a real genius! - Not necessarily, I haven't re-read it.
Maybe when it's edited it will be 17 pages.
Show off! Go rest.
When you wake up, there will be good things to eat.
Have you forgotten to tell me anything?
Hiên called me. She told me everything.
What you ate, what you drank...
what you talked about.
- I'm very annoyed. - Why?
It appears that you talked about the good old days.
But that's not why I'm mad at you.
I'm mad because you told Hiên that I'm pregnant...
when we agreed that it would be our secret.
Forgive me, I was tactless.
It's okay. Go to sleep.
I'm going to tell my sisters in a little while.
We've talked all night.
I've told you everything.
I'm going back soon to finish my work.
I want to know what you've decided.
For a long time...
I've known you had a child with another woman.
I went through your things and it was easy to figure out.
In the photos you brought back from your trips...
I watched the child grow up as if I had raised him.
In everything you've said...
the only thing that matters to me...
is that you can't love me anymore because of your dishonesty.
I'm not asking you to give up this woman and your son.
I know...
that you love them as much as us.
In a few days, when you return, we'll start our life again.
Here's what I hope for.
I am your wife.
I expect you to love me better than you have loved me.
I want you to be the man I knew...
before we were married.
That's all.
- Khanh, can you help me? - Yes, I'm just back from the market.
I wanted to tell you...
I'm pregnant.
How's that?
I'm pregnant.
I forbid you to smile! It's serious, you know.
Whose it is?
I won't play guessing games with you.
Say it! Whose is it?
His name won't mean anything to you. You don't know him.
He's married with kids, is that it?
- What does he do? - Studies architecture.
He knows you're pregnant?
Yes. I just told him.
Unmarried and pregnant!
When the baby arrives, what will you two do?
- Me and my baby? - Who said anything about the baby?
He's not born yet!
- I meant the other one. - We haven't decided anything.
Which means what, exactly?
Why don't you say something?
Talk some sense into her!
Khanh... don't cry.
I'm happy, you know.
I know it might look terrible to you.
But I'm confident...
everything's going to be okay.
Khanh, instead of blubbering, reason with her.
What am I supposed to say when I'm pregnant myself?
And I suspect that Kiên cheated on me in Saigon.
Enough! I'm through crying.
Khanh, how do you know you're pregnant?
What's that?
How can you tell when you're pregnant?
So what makes you think you are?
Because... two weeks ago...
he and I... we did...
- Was it the first time? - Yes, and the only one.
So what did you do?
Well, first, he put...
What did he do?
- He kind of put... - What?
I don't know how to say it.
Right, that's it. Tell me. When you had your last period?
A week ago.
Tell me if I've got this straight.
Two weeks ago, you and he did something.
And a week ago, you got your period?
Yes.
Good Lord!
So, does that mean I'm pregnant?
What an idiot! It's not complicated!
This girl is really thick!
We're going to have fun.
Today, my sisters and I are doing everything ourselves.
The memorial dishes and the meal for 30 guests.
Quôc and Kiên will lend a hand.
You're excused for reasons of incompetence.
Why is the anniversary of a death so important?
We didn't celebrate Dad's birthday while he lived.
It was the same for Mum. When it was their birthday...
all we said was: "Oh, it's your birthday."
And that was all.