Subtle and Heartbreaking

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2013)

Nine years have passed since the events of Before Sunrise, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delphy) had met in Vienna. Since then, Jesse has written a novel, This Time, inspired by his time with Céline, and the book has become an American bestseller. To help sales in Europe, Jesse does a book tour. The last stop of the tour is Paris, and Jesse is doing a reading at the bookstore Shakespeare and Company. As Jesse talks with his audience, flashbacks are shown of him and Céline in Vienna; the memories of their night together have clearly remained with him despite nine years having elapsed. Three journalists are present at the bookstore, interviewing Jesse: a romantic who is convinced the book's main characters meet again, a cynic who is convinced that they do not, and a third one who, despite wanting them to meet again, remains doubtful they actually do. As he speaks with his audience his eyes wander to the side, and he can hardly believe it: Céline is smiling at him.
The film is short, precise and has several impossibly long takes that are just marvelous to behold. The innocence and naivety present in the first movie is gone and they're both mature and beautiful thirty-something adults living their own lives. Yet, that one night nine years ago has been an integral part of their lives. The movie is great just to see these two people interacting again. The dialogues are more precise, the sexual tension is less, and their instinct to trust each other implicitly, like in Sunrise, is a bit held back this time around. As charming as it is, I just couldn't connect to this as much as I hoped for. Its all very subtle and heartbreaking as the movie moves forward, especially when they finally pour out their hearts and minds in the car, but - people may snigger at this - but, I needed more melodrama. I needed them to burst out crying in at least one vital scene. Its quite good, but maybe in a decade, when I'm closer to their age, then this movie might have a higher position in my eyes.
7/10