The Green Ray (2 Stars)

I'd like to subtitle this film "How many holidays does one woman need?" A woman from Paris is dumped by her boyfriend two weeks before they are due to go on holiday together. As a result she takes four holidays, going home from each one early dissatisfied. Her holidays turn into a search for the rare astronomical phenomenon, the "green ray".

Green flashes and green rays are optical phenomena that occur shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, above the sun, or a green ray shoots up from the sunset point. Green flashes are actually a group of phenomena stemming from different causes, and some are more common than others. Green flashes can be observed from any altitude (even from an aircraft). They are usually seen at an unobstructed horizon, such as over the ocean, but are possible over cloud tops and mountain tops as well.

The reason for a green flash lies in refraction of light (as in a prism) in the atmosphere: light moves more slowly in the lower, denser air than in the thinner air above, so sunlight rays follow paths that curve slightly, in the same direction as the curvature of the Earth. Higher frequency light (green/blue) curves more than lower frequency light (red/orange), so green/blue rays from the upper limb of the setting sun remain visible after the red rays are obstructed by the curvature of the earth.

So what does the green ray symbolize in the film? The answer is obvious. The green ray is a symbol of love, which a person can search for for years, but only lasts for a short while. This might sound cynical, but we see no disappointment over love's passing. The film ends when the green ray has been experienced on a moment of happiness.