As painfully honest as possible.

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2013)

Much less of a sequel and much more of a continuation of two people's lives and the trajectories they lead towards each other, Before Sunset is that rarest of films where all the drama occurs not in kinetic action or extravagant sets, but rather in quiet, calm moments on small side streets of Paris through some of the best dialogue ever put on screen.
Indeed, at times it is hard to believe this dialogue was written since it feels so realistic and is delivered so fluently it comes off as real speak as opposed to staged words. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy sparkle as never before, cementing themselves as one of the best screen couples in the history of cinema. The romantic tension is palatable but so are the truths they thrust upon each other. They reveal their deepest of emotions and turmoils, establishing again that connection they found between themselves in one night in Vienna.
Over the course of just over an hour, they do the same again, this time showing how nine years has aged them both physically and emotionally. They seem more relaxed, at ease in one another's presence. Jesse seems to joke a lot more than before, showing a vulnerable side he tried to hide before. By the end, which comes altogether way too fast, they are as connected and in tune as never before, realizing the fate of their paths and the importance of their relationship. Director Richard Linklater marvelously paces the film and the screenplay touches on so many truths and understandings about being a human in the modern world that it is worth watching just for the subjects Jesse and Celine talk about. However, the added bonus is the heart-tugging romance between these two that will stay with audiences forever.