A Sequel That Compliments The Original

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2010)

I liked this film's predecessor, "Before Sunrise" (1995), a lot because of its intriguing characters, the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy that never let up, and the dialogue that never felt written even though it was. The original movie could have easily done without the sequel, just as many films not based on comic book characters could. With that idea in mind, this film could have also brought the story of Jesse and Celine to a happy ending that felt like a cop out, which I expected it to do. However, director and writer Richard Linklater manages to bring these characters into full circle in "Before Sunset" without giving the romantic comedy fans what they want, which is why "Before Sunset" is just as good as its predecessor.
Taking place nine years from where the original film left off, Jesse (Hawk) is no longer a slacker, but an established author who wrote a bestselling account of his one night with a French woman he barely knew. Since he did not exchange contact information with Celine (Delpy) when departing Vienna, writing this book was more or less the best way of contacting her, which he does successfully as he visits Paris and attends a book signing. She meets him there, and they discuss their lives since their previous encounter, as well as where their lives are headed. Perhaps the most pressing question, at least by eager audience members, is if they are actually going to stay together this time.
Amazingly enough, its very easy to find this movie on DVD, and far more difficult to find "Before Sunrise". The latter film was released once on DVD in 1999 and, as of the date of this review, is out of print. It's surprising too, because I go to video stores and see the "Two DVDs for One" set of movies all the time. Sometimes the movies go together for obvious reasons, such as "Cocoon" (1985) and "Cocoon: The Return" (1988). Other times, I've seen "Kids" (1995) and "The Rules of Attraction" (2001) together in the same set for no apparent reason. "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" deserve to be watched in the order they were made, because I doubt moviegoers who had seen the former would not care about the characters in the latter. However, considering this film received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and its predecessor received no nominations (other than an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Kiss), I could be wrong.
Again, though, this film is on par with the original in the excellent dialogue and the undeniable chemistry between Hawke and Delpy. In this movie, there are longer shots of them walking and talking together. In the first movie, the cameras cut back and forth to show each one of them talking to the other. Here, they're in the same frame, so it's even more amazing that they engage in their conversations and never even come close to missing a beat.
Being a fan of the original film, part of me longed for Vienna over Paris. I know that's hard to believe, but the shots of the film in the original were so good, and the places Jesse and Celine visited were not touristy. In this film, they go around Paris, but they don't stop by the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre a.k.a the real touristy spots. They venture through the cobblestone streets and coffee shops, and eventually through gardens and aboard a ferry. All this great scenery, meanwhile, didn't distract from the characters' conversations.
And again, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy gave reason for why you wanted or needed to care about these characters. Especially in the case of Jesse having a troubled marriage and Celine having relationship problems, the dialogue reflected situations you could sympathize with if not relate to. And this script had an upper hand on the original in that the characters were far more mature now with problems that went beyond finding themselves. The ending also had you guessing, will Jesse leave his wife for Celine after all? Will he make his flight out in the end? These questions are not even hinted at before the end of the film.
Last but not least, Julie Delpy's songs cemented this film's memorability for me, especially her song "A Waltz For A Night", which should have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song that year. It was just one of the reasons I kept watching this film until the very end, not even stopping in between to use the restroom. It's all a testament to Linklater's ear for an intriguing film that does not necessarily tell a story. "Before Sunset" lives up to its hype, does not pander to unfamiliar audiences, and is just as good as the original.