A short and sweet treat which can be longer.

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2004)

After they left 9 years ago in Vienna, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are back in Paris, for a mere 80 mins in Before Sunset.
Together with the director Richard Linklater, the trio continues in the short and sweet meetup, beginning from the bookstore in Paris. Comparing with their wildness in Before Sunrise, Jesse (Ethan) and Celine (Julie) shows maturity and responsibility has taken place after the 9 years separation, by listening to the topics they discussed: sex, love, romance, politics, and meanings of life. With a non-stop sequence of the 80min drama, Before Sunset shows us the 5 places both Jesse and Celine went to to talk about the meaning of life: cafe, park, small cruise on the river, Jesse's private car and finally, Celine's apartment.
Before Sunset makes us think what we have done in our life, and the responsibility we shoulder as time goes by. It has indeed make a good drama on love and life, together with the beautiful scenery on streets of Paris and a short glimpse of French's lifestyle. However, it is a pity that the movie lasted only 80mins, as the story takes place on Jesse's short and little sparetime that he has before going to the airport, returning back to the US.
Overall, Before Sunset has brought us good script, good cast and beautiful scenery, but the duration can definitely be lengthen.