Man, it's great to be alive

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2015)

Initially, I had planned to watch Richard Linklater's Before trilogy in three days, watching one film after another. However, upon viewing Before Sunrise, along with writing the review, I took note that this trilogy was about time, time progression, and how people respond with being in company with one another for either an extended period of time or, in contrast, a relatively short period of time sporadically. I thought in order to make the trilogy bear a wee bit more relevance and realism for me, as a viewer, seeing as impatiently waiting nine years between each film to see them in theaters was an option I missed, I'd distance each film by about two weeks (and with the amount of films I watch in between, there would hopefully be little obsessing over what happens to the characters in between that time). My confession to you, the reader, is that it took all of my strength not to watch Before Sunset sooner than I had scheduled it; Before Sunrise is the kind of film that blindsides you so greatly, and tickles your human spirit so tenderly, that when it's over, knowing there's more films of the like makes you want to seek those others out immediately. Unfortunately, I had to exercise some restraint in the process to at least add some personal realism to this series; like I was impatiently waiting with these characters to see one another again.
Before Sunset picks up exactly nine years after the events of Before Sunrise, which focused on an American man named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and a Frenchwoman named Céline (Julie Delpy) met aboard a train in Vienna and spent the entire day roaming and conversing through the city, agreeing to meet nine years later in the same place. Jesse is back overseas, however, this time in Paris, doing a book tour for the novel he wrote about his encounter with Céline and how it changed his life. During the book tour, he runs into Céline, shocked as can be, as he recalls how their original meeting didn't go as scheduled because she presumably forgot about their agreement to meet. It turns out, a personal tragedy occurred in Céline's life, making her unable to meet up with him. Now, however, they are together and spend a brief but glorious day in Paris together, again, roaming the streets talking about philosophy, personal happiness, their own lives, their own musings, and so forth, all captured under the beautiful streets and attractions that Paris has to offer.
Hawke and Delpy have officially made themselves comfortable in the roles of Jesse and Céline. In this effort, they seem more relaxed with one another, especially Hawke, who has made his character assume more of a pleasantly comic role, but never to any particular fault. Delpy's character, on the other hand, has grown more cynical to the idea of love and attraction, remarking how the past two guys she dated wound up breaking up with her and finding love immediately following the break up. "Why couldn't they ask me to marry them?," she asks Jesse, in a crying fit in a taxi, "I would've said 'no,' but the least they could've done was ask." Jesse, on the other hand, is married with a kid, and breathlessly doing a handful of book tours. He's not happy, surprisingly enough, but just passively content with his life. He admits his marriage isn't provided with the romantic/fairy-tale idealism that he's madly in love with the person he sleeps with every day, but that he respects, cares for, and trusts his wife as a person, which, he believes, is what it comes down to ultimately. However, any thinking person can see what Jesse and Céline share is true love. After nine years of no contact, and not even knowing each others last names of full backgrounds, the two can assimilate back into a particular environment and pick up a conversation that's laid dormant for nine years as if it was just discussed on the previous day. On top of that, it's important to note how comfortable the two souls are around one another, sharing personal opinions and diving into past experiences in a way that only happens with one other person once in a blue moon. If you can recall one experience you've had with another person where you and them divulged personal details with one another because you felt explicitly comfortable and safe in their presence, you are an incredibly lucky soul. If you can hold on to that, you're an even more fortunate person.
Before Sunset, above all, is a continuation of Linklater's fascination and study of time and human interaction. He has constructed two very interesting and complex characters and has given them the ability to reconnect with one another every nine years. With that, he toys with settings, ideas, and philosophies, and essentially uses these two souls to communicate thoughts and ideas about how we interact and how times heals, impacts, and effects all of us, especially our relationships, in different ways. Before Sunset is a beautiful continuation; a love-letter and joyous appreciation for the human spirit, with two great actors even more adjusted and oriented to their roles than ever before, leaving for seventy-seven minutes of rich and potent dialog. If you don't extract something from this film, or feel something, I may need to check you for a pulse.
Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Directed by: Richard Linklater.