The sequel I never wanted to see has exceeded my expectations

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2004)

Before Sunrise was a beautiful movie that catered to a romantic ideal: Jesse and Celine share a single day together, conversation flows like wine, and it all ends far to abruptly to ever know if the love was real, or merely a figment of their own hopes. Jesse is the heart-broken cynic, Celine the romantic in search of a pair. It is one of the best examples of young love ever put on screen. At the end of the first movie, you are left on your own to decide their fates.
This is precisely why I never wanted there to be a sequel. It was a perfectly ambiguous movie, and the way you interpreted their future was just a reflection of your own cynicism or romantic nature. Yet Linklater decided to answer the question for us in perhaps the most beautiful way possible. For anyone who saw Sunrise when it first came out, nine years of their own lives have now passed, along with the actors. How has the passage of time affected not only the viewers' interpretations, but also the actors?
This time around, Hawke plays the romantic. For nine years he has hoped and dreamed of meeting up with Celine. Conversely, for Delpy her romanticism was snuffed out the day she should have met up in Vienna. What Linklater has done is essentially recreate the entire first story all over again, only this time it's from the perspective of a 30-something. The details that got in the way of their first affair: distance, fear, uncertainty -- have been replaced with the more practical (but more serious) details of marriage, children, responsibility.
If they could just go back to that point in time knowing what they know now, it would be so simple -- of course they'd get together. But life isn't that easy. Linklater has again given them a chance at true, perfect love, this time with the complications of mature adults. They both recognize how special their relationship is, but the sacrifices they would have to make to be together now have far more serious consequences. Is it worth the risk? The ending is again ambiguous -- perhaps Linklater will fill us in on the details in another 9 years.
Note: while Before Sunset does reference Before Sunrise in occasional flashback blips, you really should see the original first. If you have the time, you might try waiting a few years before watching the sequel to truly appreciate it -- though this isn't completely necessary.