the intense beauty of emotional vulnerability

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2004)

As most may know, this movie takes place 9 years after the movie Before Sunrise, and takes place in real time. the characters of Jesse and Celine meet again, and in tentative and insecure steps, reveal to each other how much their fateful meeting affected the rest of their lives.
it is touching and amazing to see these two actors portray this gentle unfolding with such talent and joy. it makes it more remarkable when the actors (in the Q&A after the screening) admit they rehearsed every scene over and over again, going over every moment and movement in detail. they make it seem effortless, natural, and smooth. it's a tribute to both the actors that the audience never feels that their reactions are contrived, nor does the conversation feel at all directed.
whether you are a "romantic or a cynic," as Linklater put it last night, "you'll get something out of this."