Review Before Sunset (2004)

[Steve C]

Title: Before Sunset

Tagline: What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?

Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: Richard Linklater

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torrès, Rodolphe Pauly, Mariane Plasteig, Diabolo, Denis Evrard, Albert Delpy, Marie Pillet

Release: 2004-02-10

Runtime: 80

Plot: Nine years ago two strangers met by chance and spent a night in Vienna that ended before sunrise. They are about to meet for the first time since. Now they have one afternoon to find out if they belong together.



I liked this. Essentially a long conversation on what might have been. It touched me.

 

[AgentPete]

Yes, me too! Apparently, a lot of dialogue was improv.

 

[Steve C]

Apparently, a lot of dialogue was improv

I can well believe that. The whole thing felt unscripted and natural. I thought the acting was great because they didn't seem to be acting. Him being an author kinda of added to the experience too.

 

[Monarch]

Looks like a good one that my wife and I could watch together! Thanks!

 

[Steve C]

If you enjoyed 'Before Sunset' you might also enjoy 'Before Midnight' which the same two actors made 9 years later.
Great acting which explores their relationship and resonates because one of the MCs is an author.

Before Midnight (2013) - IMDb

Before Midnight: Directed by Richard Linklater. With Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Prior. We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.

www.imdb.com

 

[yanapuma]

This is a trilogy ..the three of them are all worth checking out ... remarkable piece of work ... never schmaltzy

The Before Trilogy

The cornerstone of director Richard Linklater’s career‑long exploration of cinematic time, this celebrated three-part romance captures a relationship as it begins, begins again, deepens, and strains over the course of almost two decades. Chronicling the love of Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse...

www.criterion.com

 

[DavidM]

Oh, yes! This trilogy is just amazingly crafted and, at least for me, reflects powerful themes in my own life.

In some ways, this second installment is most provocative because it plays out that "what if" fantasy. Of course, the amazing stroll through Paris doesn't hurt either.

But the thing that destroys me every time is him telling her that, if someone touched him, he would probably dissolve. And then, toward the end she hugs him and says she wanted to see if he would dissolve. And, obviously, he hasn't, physically. But there's just the hint that emotionally he has.

Amazing work.