Review of Before Sunset (2004) by Arth J — 26 Nov 2017

Before movies.

This is a movie which requires your complete and utter attention. You can't miss a beat or go grab another bag of popcorn. Every single second and every word is pregnant with meaning and emotion.

The Before trilogy, and most specifically Before Sunset, demands hanging on every word, inference, vocal implication, and subtext. It's a movie series defined by subtlety and reading between the lines on the script.

This movie contains some of the most poignant and emotional dialogue and on-screen presence ever put to film.

It's also a movie that one will either love or hate. There is no middle ground permitted with this film. If you chose not to pay extremely close attention to the chemistry and interweaving threads of conversation, this film could be tremendously boring for you (I mean it is just two people strolling through Paris talking). It's not a film you can just have in the background while cooking. It's something you need to actively pay attention to - which to me is so easy to do given the actors.

But the magic and beauty of the film is the realism and vividness and potency of two people connecting. It's a glimpse into "true love" (over-glorified but at the same time laid bare and raw against the backdrop of life) and the give-and-take among two people in as emotionally provocative a way possible.

5 Stars. Watch and then rewatch it for new meaning.