Before Sunset

Plot synopsis:
Nine years before, Jesse and Céline had met and had a brief encounter in Vienna. Jesse's new novel, This Time, was inspired by that night, and becomes a bestseller. He does a book tour in Europe, including Paris. He does a reading at the noted bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. Flashbacks express elements of his time with Céline in Vienna. Three journalists attend the reading to interview Jesse: one is convinced the book's main characters meet again, another that they do not, and a third who wants them to but is doubtful that will occur. As Jesse speaks with the audience, his eyes wander and he sees Céline there, smiling at him.
After the presentation, the bookstore manager reminds Jesse of his need to leave for the airport in about an hour for his plane. Céline and Jesse's time together is again constrained. They make the best of it, and their conversations become deeply personal. They begin with themes of work and politics and, with increasing passion, approach their earlier feelings for each other.
They touch on their failure to have met as planned six months after their first encounter. Jesse returned to Vienna but Céline did not, because her grandmother had died suddenly. Since the pair had never exchanged addresses, they had no way to contact each other at the time.
Their talk reveals how their lives have changed during the nine years they spent apart. Jesse, now a writer, is married and has a son. Céline has become an advocate for the environment, and has a photojournalist boyfriend. They each express some dissatisfaction with their lives.
They talk as they walk in Paris, with scenes showing a café, garden, bateau mouche, and Jesse's hired car. Their former feelings are slowly rekindled, as their one night together looms large in memory, unmarred by ordinary trials. Jesse says his book was inspired by his hope of seeing Céline again. She says that it brought back painful memories. They begin to approach each other tentatively but pull back.
In the concluding scene, Céline and Jesse arrive at her apartment. Jesse persuades her to play a waltz on her guitar. Her song is about their earlier brief encounter. Jesse puts a Nina Simone CD on the stereo system. Céline dances to the song, "Just in Time," as Jesse watches her. Céline imitates Simone, saying, "Baby ... you are gonna miss that plane." Jesse smiles and says, "I know."

Tags: boring, violence, flashback, psychedelic, philosophical, romantic, storytelling, sentimental

Review:
If, on the other hand, you like good dialogue, well formed characters, and aren't quite jaded enough to have given up completely on the idea of true love, don't miss this film..
I'd been longing to see this one as I'd always thought 'Before Sunrise' was one of the most honest, most real films I'd ever seen, but at the same time I held off seeing the sequel from fear of disappointment.
And then the details, the echoes of the first film in the settings but now with a world-weariness, an autumnal note and yet with still that fundamental freshness and optimism that revives the memories of Sunrise's youthfulness and reminds us, as our heroes discuss, that though time changes people, there remains an unchanging core.
A sequel to such a story seemed to be unnecessary, but apparently director Richard Linklater himself couldn't stop thinking about these two intriguing characters and had to envision their lives after this one fateful day in Vienna.Here it is now, the most unlikely sequel I have ever seen, "Before Sunset" - made not for money but for pure artistic purpose only.
"Before Sunset" takes place nine years after Jesse and Celine first met and as soon as the movie starts you feel like you meet old friends you haven't seen in a long time.
Their acting is as natural as can be, and thinking of Hawke's recent divorce in real life you wonder how much of his character in the movie is based on his own personal experiences.Unfortunately, the movie is over way too soon.
As part one, "Before Sunset" doesn't have a definite ending, though.It's sure nice to see that apparently Linklater cares about Jesse and Celine as much as I do and made such a good sequel.
"Before Sunset" is parallel in many ways.At one level we have a romantic story -- two people who'd briefly been lovers nine years before and lost touch meet again.
Etc.While Celine and Jesse have a capacity for relating and talking, they also have somewhat opposite ways of viewing the world and relationships -- Celine is more cynical and reserved; Jesse is more open to settling for the "not-perfect-but-good-enough."There are possibly a few people who have not had the personal experiences that at least somewhat relate to the premise in this film -- a relationship in which one wonders, "what would have happened if I'd pursued that relation?" but probably most people have.
Etc.The film, fortunately, gives us no answers to these essential questions but it does pose them in a way that makes us consider them.Delpy and Hawke are given screenwriter credits and I feel sure that they must've contributed a great deal to the feeling of seamless, natural dialogue.GREAT movie.
For instance, towards the end of the movie, after these "lovers" are fighting the clock (because Ethan Hawke's character needs to catch a flight) and are cruising down the river, they are so engrossed in their conversation and the fact that they are trying to get so much out of the last few minutes they don't notice their ride is coming to an end.
The dialogue is intelligent and insightful, but that is because the characters are intelligent and have a knack for being brutally honest with their thoughts and feelings.This is movie excellence, and I'm glad some film makers are still trying to make art.
Like the first movie they walk around Paris this time and talk about love, life, reality, what  might have been--and it's all fascinating.
Just like the first film, time is of the essence again and we follow Jesse, now the writer of an international best seller who meets up with Celine again, this time in Paris.
That's not to say that Celine and Jesse have completely matured into well-rounded adults, on the contrary in fact; the immature irresponsibility that the characters once revelled in still remains, and this comes to a head at the film's conclusion.Amazingly enough, in spite of the fact that it's nine years since their first outing as Celine and Jesse; both Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply have managed to step back into their characters, and have once again achieved a glove-like fit.
While the two talk, people chat away on mobile phones, walk their dogs and drive their cars and the life around the two characters creates a wonderful atmosphere.You really need to see Before Sunrise before seeing this follow up in order to appreciate the tones and the beauty of this picture.
Jessie (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), who first met on a train in Vienna in 1994, meet again nine years later as Jessie has published a book which is based on that night they had together.
But then we also get to see something much deeper in each side that Jessie's book and mere re-appearance for Celine brings out a memory that has become hyper-realized, and vice-versa.Like Bergman's films, in particular Scenes From a Marriage (if not as wholly successful because of its short running time here), Linklater provides us with characters who have no problem saying what's on their mind, in the immediate sense anyway.
If the two of them were happy, to be certain, there would be no movie, but it's the characters' connection to that one night in Vienna, and the second meeting that was supposed to take place six months later and never happened, and how it cripples their own romantic lives that becomes very interesting yet shallow at the same time.
Perhaps this is the best way to show how smart, functional people become dysfunctional in their respective social stratospheres- Jessie is married and with a kid, but not very happy in it, and Celine is in bad relationship after bad relationship- but the singular, glossy night of years past has become a bitter shrine of sorts amid their respective neuroses.Linklater shares that incredible Bergman quality of cutting past the already sharp intellect to the emotional matter of the parties, even if it doesn't feel totally complete; I want to see how their story might end, however obvious it should and probably would be.
This, plus the incredibly natural repore of the actors, as Hawke and Delpy, as to be expected, seem like they aren't even on a script but are being filmed by Linklater on the fly as his camera captures the given-luscious scapes of Paris in afternoon, and the dialog is still as fresh and inviting as ever.
But as with the first one, I still loved being around these two, who can expound a mouthful on a subject that we all might talk about, almost shockingly similar (one bit I liked a lot was Celine's story of going to Poland), and then in a slight cloud of romanticism.It ends ambiguous, maybe too ambiguous, as I found myself saying 'huh, what', but it ties into what Jessie tells the reporters at the press conference early in the film: one may take away something from this tale, or someone else another, but there it is, clear as day.
The Sunrise movie takes us through a magical night in Vienna where two young (23 year old) adults fall in love.
There are almost no words to describe this film.Almost.I saw Before Sunrise last spring, and I remember being taken with the characters and the way the movie was filmed--almost entirely in real time, line after line of amazing and honest dialogue.
It came on TV one day a few weeks later, and soon after became one of my favorite movies.To start, these are two of the best, most human characters ever portrayed in a film.
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke (who collaboratively wrote the screenplay) left on an ambiguous note (just like the end of Jesse's book), a true test of whether the audience is a cynic, romantic or just not sure.
After revealing their characters' naked beliefs, hopes and fears, they turn to the audience in the end for a beautiful twist.Unfortunately there are so many people who will think this film is boring, but all I ask is that you open your mind and just listen to the two of them speak.
i will keep this brief because i do not want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it.i will say this : about halfway through this very brief film i thought it was a decent followup to a very good movie.by the end it was probably one of my three or four favorite movies of all time.If you had ANY interest in Before Sunrise, even if you only kind of liked it, see BEFORE SUNSET IMMEDIATELY.Plus, this is a movie that rewards multiple viewings.
Well I could have, but I'd like to let Before Sunrise sink it a bit, before finding out how my favourite lovebirds continue with their next encounter in this sequel, filmed some nine years later, which is a very, very long time to wait for a sequel to be made.I guess the length of time in between the making of the movies helped to bring about certain gravitas to the characters played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, in that they truly age physically, no two ways about that, and along with the physical age, come the emotional baggage and history they have built over the years.
In Before Sunset, we are nine years from the last meeting of Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke, with a last name to his character) and Celine (Julie Delpy), and he's now a published writer making his whirlwind book promotion in Europe.
They meet in a bookstore in Paris, which takes over Vienna, and now have to spend, in almost real time, a very limited late afternoon evening together reminiscing and catching up, before Jesse's scheduled flight home to the USofA.The narrative style has also matured together with the ease with which the actors play their respective characters.
Therefore their lines come across so naturally, you can't help but to start casting this voyeuristic look upon Jesse and Celine as you eagerly await their sharing of their lives from that moment in time, until now - their careers, their families, and the perennial what ifs, and there are many.I don't have a particular moment which I loved, unlike the previous movie, but there are certain dialogue discussed, especially during the limo ride, which struck a chord in me.
And it does make me wonder, what will happen if I chance upon her some years down the road too (I think it has now been 5?), how exactly we would react, and how we would have a conversation, if ever, during that chance meeting.To truly appreciate this movie, watch Before Sunrise first.
Before Sunset (2004) **** (out of 4) Nine years after the events in BEFORE SUNRISE, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) returns to Paris to do a Q&A for his book, which just happens to talk about that night in Vienna.
BEFORE SUNSET is clearly an improvement over the already very good first film but what makes this one here even more special is that it captures the magic of the first picture while at the same time taking a look at the darker issues in their lives.
As with the first film, it's really amazing how director Richard Linklater managed to make this feel like a documentary that you're watching and not once do you see Hawke and Delpy as actors but instead you see them as real people that are simply being filmed by an invisible camera.
It is also amazing the natural performances of Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy, who intensively live the characters of Jesse and Celine.
There is something that is entirely relatable here yet still far enough out of our reach that we are sucked into the film because we want to know that magic that exists only in movies.The story starts with a book signing.
Before Sunrise was a beautiful movie that catered to a romantic ideal: Jesse and Celine share a single day together, conversation flows like wine, and it all ends far to abruptly to ever know if the love was real, or merely a figment of their own hopes.
This "Part Deux," as it takes place in instantly recognizable Paris, contains less explanatory flashback material than the consequently essential trailer did, as the premise for the movie is a specific "what if?" portend of future potential regret that Ethan Hawke's Jesse used to seduce Julie Delpy's Celine for a night around Vienna almost ten years ago.
It is a wonderful premise and creative writing collaboration among director Richard Linklater and the stars to have the characters revisited in the real time of being older in a real time conversation that is filmed a la Eric Rohmer, like his "Les Rendez-vous de Paris." The movie carries an additional subtext that shadows the characters and adds to the complexity.
Before Sunset is movie so genuine and true to the heart, where two people fall deeply in love without even expressing the words "I love you" or even sharing a mere kiss on screen.I have never seen two people interact like those two in "real life" or in any other movie.
The original is almost as good, but this one had something extra in it to bring me to tears.If you don't understand even one part of what I'm talking about after you watched this miracle, then unfortunately you have zero chance of experiencing true love.This may me my favourite movie of all time!.
Well, this film not only grabs and holds your attention but makes you fall in love with the characters like the prequel "Before Sunrise".
In "Before Sunset", they are in Paris, 9 years from their tryst in Vienna, having lost complete contact of each other during the time.We follow these characters as they have grown from their previous romantic meeting, become more matured, responsible, more cynical and probably more regretful for their predicament to be apart.
Overjoyed to see her again but pressured to leave for the airport in an hour and a half, Jesse goes for coffee and a walk with her in order to talk and catch up.Its been almost 10 years since I saw the original movie and had a vague recollection of it but I wanted to go to the cinema to see a film.
The perfect ending for the perfect couple...Although i prefer realistic endings and i kind of hate the happy end,I wanted these two people together...The most romantic story for two great characters.Paris,also with its elegance makes the movie adorable.You almost forget that you are watching a film.You are just wandering around Paris.Nice and substantial conversations about life and love and a great end which leaves you with the sweet taste of love without giving all this useless information about their later life...They are together for now,and we don't care what is going to happen...They will find their way...
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke star in the sequel to the movie "Before Sunrise".
Everything is perfect, Julie Delpy as Celine, Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Richard Linklater the director, the cleverest dialogs in movie history, the less known sites of Viena first, Paris after, etc, etc.
The way Jesse and Celine look back at the time they shared 9 years ago, how beautiful their one night was together, how their lives have changed, and they contemplate what could have been, Linklater portrays not only a story of true love, but life in itself and it's never-ending series of ups and downs.I couldn't help but try to walk in Jesse's shoes in my own life 9 years down the road and wonder if I will make the same decisions.
In Before Sunrise (1995) Jesse and Celine had a romance that was over the next day.Now nine years later they meet again in Paris, where Jesse is talking about his book he has written.They end up talking like they did the last time and they start falling in love with each other like they did the last time.Are they meant to spend their lives together?
The way that both actors were on the first film was as they were connected somehow making it so real that you could caught yourself thinking and hopping that there will be a classic -Hollywood made- happy ending to make sure that's just a movie and nothing more!
Because the story knows it does, but it just wants to make you wonder too...Basically the movie is about two people who meet again, both thinking the other had forgotten about what they shared a long time ago.
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..
What makes this movie great is not the subject, reclaiming lost love/connection (I haven't seen Before Sunrise, I have to admit), but the honest and real way that the dialogue unfolds.
The best way to describe this movie is by the following comments of a film criticquote: -------- "Sunset" plays out in real time -- in 81 minutes of unfolding getting-to-know-you-(again) conversation -- and its tug of suspense comes not only from that waiting plane but from the need to grab at chance and from the larger looming deadline of age.It's a movie about how people woo each other with words, looks and glances.
The conversation they had about the environment, the politics of the world and things in the movie, is so much like what I would experience being in their age.Although the ending is not what I expected, I still think that the maturity and chemistry between these characters will live with me as I grow.