Great film. See "Before Sunrise" first, though

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2007)

Add me to the chorus of people who really enjoyed this film. I think that the two films - "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" - make for a wonderful experience. Both films are interesting enough to stand on their own, I guess, but this is truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
The fact that the actors are themselves 9 years older is one of the reasons why the film feels genuine. At one point in the film the Hawke character says that people stay essentially the same throughout their whole lives, even if their circumstances and lifestyles change. I'd say that seems to be true of these characters, and is done in an interesting way: The two characters - and actors - are 9 years older and how are in a different phase in their life, but the same spark that made them interesting to watch in the first film is true here as well.
This is not a film to watch if you're interested in action, or even plot. Essentially all that happens is that two people meet up and talk for about 80 minutes, and that's it. But the conversation is so interesting - particularly since they have the first film to draw on - that it really holds your attention the whole time.
I've heard that Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have toyed with the idea of making more movies about these characters every few years, and I hope they end up doing that.
Overall, a great film, and one that really makes you think.