I felt I was eavesdropping the whole time!

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2004)

*Possible Spoiler*
This is one of those very few movies that I actually wanted to go see because of the movie itself, not because my friends want to see it or I don't know where to go on a date. I saw the first one (Before Sunrise) long time ago on TV and I was pretty impressed. It was very simple, yet sophisticated. The entire movie revolves around a never ending conversation between two strangers who met each other on a train in Europe. As the conversation flows along, two leads unravel their personalities. Well, you get the picture. Topics of the conversation centers around relationships and how interesting and ironic life can be. As the movie went on, I grew to like both characters and was hoping they could get together at the end. However ......
Personally, I liked the first one slightly better, just because it's when the two character were first introduced and it seemed more complete as a movie. The second can't really stand alone. The ending of Before Sunset is a little abrupt to me. Not that I want to be spoon fed every little detail of their relationship, but a little most hints on where the future might lead would help the movie be more complete, in my opinion. I like the fact that they didn't use any background music at all throughout the entire movie, but the movie itself creates its own magic on different aspects, like the eye contacts, the recurring mannerisms of both characters, and the chemistry between them. It doesn't need music to modify itself. I dig that.
I am not a fan of either actor, or even big on romance movies myself. But I like the casualness of the movie. It makes me feel that if I could ever be a date with someone, either Vienna or Paris would be the perfect location. Romance just gets oozed out naturally without being reinforced in any way. Also, this movie is so intimate. I feel like I was eavesdropping two people's conversation the whole time, watching two of them dance around each other. Anyway, it is a really good romance movie I've seen in a long time (not that I've seen thousands of them), and I recommend it to everyone who has a gentle and personal side in them.