Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater
Category: IIA
Two people walking around talking about life's highs and lows. Hardly the stuff you'd expect to have crowds trampling towards cinemas. But there's such depth and intelligence behind Richard Linklater's film that there's little wonder it has had critics crowing.
In Before Sunrise (1995) we had two strangers (Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke) who spend a night together in Vienna. Over the course of that night, they ruminate about their hopes and dreams - and they're slowly drawn together. This time around, we have the same characters nearly 10 years later. The American (Hawke) has written a well-received book about that first encounter and he's in Paris on a book tour. That leads to a reunion with the Frenchwoman (Delpy) - and the pair pick up where they left off. There's lots of walking. And talking. But one of the surprising aspects of the film is how little pretentiousness comes with the dialogue.
This time, instead of wide-eyed innocence and naivety, we have people who have suffered life's disappointments, and have become resigned to the fact that things don't always turn out the way one might hope. But far from being a glum look at lost opportunity, there's a rich romanticism at the heart of Before Sunset. And a lot of humour, too.
