Before Sunset (2004)
Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
Directed by Richard Linklater
In preparation for one of my final movie viewings of 2013 films, I needed to catch up on the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two thirtysomethings who met nine years ago on a train and spent a glorious night in Vienna talking about their life views, falling in love, and then having to go their separate ways. The story of twentysomething Jesse and Celine was detailed in the 1995 film Before Sunrise and while I enjoyed that film even a second viewing had me facing the same issues -- Jesse and Celine were putting on too many aires to impress one another to make me care deeply for the characters.
After watching Before Sunset, I can't help but think that my "issues" with the characters in the first film were perhaps the point. Jesse and Celine were fresh from college then and trying to impress each other with their recent "book" knowledge while also trying to show just how learned they were with real world issues. Nine years later, these superficial attempts aren't as necessary as nearly a decade has shaped them into different people (Jesse is married with a kid!) who wouldn't necessarily be as impressed with their twentysomething selves.
Instead, Jesse and Celine reflect on lost love and "what could have been." This nostalgic reminiscing was more appealing to me and I found myself enjoying the company of these characters more than I had previously. Hawke and Delpy are charming with one another and Delpy almost takes center stage here as her Celine is given a bit more of an emotional arc to work with over the course of the film's quick eighty minute mini-travelogue of Paris. And the final scene -- I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. I look forward to the third chapter of this unique film experience.
The RyMickey Rating: A-
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