Probably one of the best sequels I have ever seen.

Rating: 7/10 (8 October 2005)

The dialog is considerably more believable, the characters are deeper, the emotions are stronger and the viewer's connection with the characters is more intense. Ethan Hawke is better, Julie Delpy is better, Richard Linklater is at his best.
It is outstanding to watch both Jesse and Ethan Hawke grow as a normal guy on a quest for happiness and an actor who has improved a lot since the first part, respectively. Julie Delpy's performance left me in awe in scenes where she describes her frustration with her sub-par love life, whereas 10 years ago her lines seemed emotionless and routine. Richard Linklater takes themes he would only touch superficially in the first part, and dives into them in the second part, much like how the characters are more callous and realize they have nothing to lose anymore.
I must admit the first part did not impress me. I was enthralled by the excitement of the young adults' spontaneous romance in Vienna, but it all seemed so dreamy and stereotypical of how love should be. Well, I realize now that this is exactly what it was supposed to be. It was love in every meaning of the word: heightening, inspiring, and painful. It wasn't until I saw Before Sunset that all this dawned on me. The way Jesse and Celine look back at the time they shared 9 years ago, how beautiful their one night was together, how their lives have changed, and they contemplate what could have been, Linklater portrays not only a story of true love, but life in itself and it's never-ending series of ups and downs.
I couldn't help but try to walk in Jesse's shoes in my own life 9 years down the road and wonder if I will make the same decisions. Is it inevitable that you wish you would have done things differently? Will ever I connect with someone the way Jesse and Celine do? Is it fair to measure happiness circumstantially? All these are questions Linklater makes us think about while witnessing a love that just doesn't "fizzle out".