An interesting romance film

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2005)

I didn't remember seeing the first film of this series, "Before Sunrise" until some of the footage from that film was featured in its sequel, "Before Sunset", also directed by Richard Linklater. The premise of the story is that in 1995, Celine (Delpy), a young French woman and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) are two young strangers that meet in Vienna and spend the kind of night together anyone with half of a brain and an ounce of romance in them would envy. They walk, they talk, they sit, they talk, they have sex, they talk. And throughout the evening, they realize that they are probably meant to be together forever. She has to leave, but they tell each other that they will meet in Vienna in six months. "Before Sunset" picks up 9 years later, and Jesse is on the last leg of a European book tour, in France. The book is based on his experiences that night, so it of course shocks and awes him when he looks over at the patrons of the bookstore and sees Celine. They proceed to spend the next 75 minutes or so walking, talking, sitting, talking, and figuring out what "could have been".
The story is so much deeper than I actually portray it, but the film is indeed a simple one. Essentially done in real time, the camera never leaves the two characters as they walk around Paris, sit in a coffee house and ride on a ferry boat. Because the film is so simple, the story has to be substantial, and it is. Even if one has not seen "Before Sunrise", it is easy to not only figure out the back story (thanks to the use of clips from that film) but to become emotionally invested in the characters of Celine and Jesse. The chemistry between these two actors is substantial, and the characters themselves are so likable that even though I normally have a complete disinterest in either actor separately, together I find them charming. The actual conversations (ranging from the regular "catch-up" stuff to existentialism) are really so natural; they did not seem forced or staged, an easy hole to slip in to with such a dialogue-heavy film. I'm sure that the incredible backdrop of Paris didn't hurt the romantic undertone of the film. There were a couple of conveniences that seemed to betray the otherwise intelligent feel of the film, namely the fact that Jesse's marriage story is a complete cliché, not unlike any number of stories someone hears at a cheesy pick-up joint. Fortunately in that instance, (though I can't completely forgive it) the connection between them is so obvious that it somehow (though not completely) seems a little less sleazy.
"Before Sunset" is nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay, a choice that I find very interesting and agree with. It is worth of its nomination (though will doubtfully win), and it's also one of the few romance films made after 1968 that I actually enjoy  because it has a brain. 7/10 --Shelly