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Before Sunset

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater
Genre: Drama
Year: 2004
Rating: 4 / 5

For a film that some would consider a totally unwarranted sequel – after all, the original, produced nine years earlier, barely made a ripple at the box office – Before Sunset comes across as surprisingly original. It is the rare sequel that actually improves on the original – although the original never did spark much love in this viewer – and it is one that does not buy into the more-is-better notion of typical sequels. The same simple, carefree air which guided Before Sunrise returns here, bringing stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy along with it. They revisit characters that did not live happily ever after, ones that did not end up in each others arms, and, in that context, they come to better understand the lives that they have led because of it.

Nine years ago, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two strangers who met on a train in Europe, shared one incredible evening together. As young travelers fresh out of college, these two found a level of understanding and a connection with each other. As the film ended and the two headed their separate ways, they promised to reconnect in Austria six months later. Flash forward to 2004, and we see that these two have crafted their own lives, neither spectacular nor tragic, just real. While touring France to promote his new book – which is, not so coincidentally, about that magical night nine years prior – Jesse runs into Celine again. With only hours until Jesse’s flight home, the two stroll the city, reminiscing about where life has taken them and what might have been.

The film is refreshing in that it follows no stated norms, eschewing convention wherever possible. There are no big twists or surprises, simply two people trying to rediscover each other after a long time apart. Jesse is married now and has a child, and, although his love for his child is very strong, his marriage is not. Celine is in a serious relationship with a man who is never there, a fact that does not seem to bother the free spirit. Their time together touches on trivial topics that any old acquaintance might reach for during conversational lulls, but it eventually works its way around to that night years ago. Why did the two not meet up in Austria? Would their lives be different if they had? Is there any point in even wondering what might have been?

Director Richard Linklater wisely steps back and lets his two stars navigate their way through their characters’ complicated feelings and emotions. He grants them long, extended takes, giving viewers the sense that these two really are working their way through their own muddled lives. The two actors, who command the film’s entire eighty-minute runtime, slip into their old characters with ease, although they both wear the scars of time. Ethan Hawke has the distinct look of a man whose life has taken some unexpected turns, a man who is looking for some spark to shake him from his doldrums. The film’s pace is brisk, and we find ourselves just watching the characters and their reactions, barely registering their words that pass between them. We are left to wonder if they will find each other again Before Sunset.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 80 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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