Surprising

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2005)

I probably shouldn't be writing about "Before Sunset," since I haven't seen "Before Sunrise," and I don't even know much of its reputation. But I think even sequels should have stand-alone appeal, and I must confess I found this film to be a very pleasant surprise, even if it sometimes tried my patience. The idea of making a filmed version of a single conversation is sort of inherently uncinematic  I'm no great fan of "My Dinner with André," which as a piece of talk was occasionally interesting, but which never achieved anything as a film that it wouldn't have as a play, or, indeed, as an actual real-life conversation. I anticipated the same kind of problems here, and they are here  having these two chatterboxes move their bodies in and out of cafés and along the Seine is better than having them sit at a table the whole time, but it still doesn't really use the medium to its best advantage. The whole concept has the feel of a gimmick about it  and yet there's something about the film that really comes alive by the end of it. Jesse and Celine are not particularly interesting characters (even they make fun of each other's shallowness and irresponsibility), but there's something almost magical about the big "what if?" that rests in the center of this confection. It's a common fantasy, the desire to know how life might have been different if one single day had gone the other way, and it's maybe a good thing that very few of us ever have the chance to find out. (For all the romance and warmth of the movie's resolution, the odds are even more stacked against ultimate togetherness for these characters than they would have been the first time.) But this uncertainty only adds to the substance, as these two ordinary but likable people romanticize their past and present (but not future). As I said, at times their catching up is a little tiresome, and yet the emotional payoff makes it worth the getting there, and the low-key performances from the two stars become a big part of the film's ultimate authenticity and success. "Before Sunset" is a movie with a heart that sneaks up on even the most jaded viewer, and it has to be recommended for just about anyone. 8.5 out of 10.