Review of Before Sunset (2004) by Victor T — 17 Jan 2016

It is something common in Hollywood to create unnecessary sequels, and a common genre who is the target of this statement are romantic comedies, but considering how unique "Before Sunrise" was, it is shocking that Linklater decided to make a sequel nine years later. Does the romance between Jesse & Celine is a story worthy of a sequel? Is this as unique as "Sunrise"?

Nine years after the events of "Before Sunrise", Jesse has become a bestselling novelist thanks to a book based on the events of that night with Celine. On his promotional world tour, he ends up meeting Celine again in France.

While I understood why "Before Sunrise" achieved its cult status and I praised most of the techniques used to tell that story, I found it underwhelming to my taste thus I wasn't exactly anxious to see Jesse & Celine again, but surprisingly this sequel managed to surpass my expectations (which admittedly weren't that high to begin with). "Before Sunset" takes all that made its predecessor as beloved as it is: The acting is even better, Linklater´s directing is more personal and even more showoffy due to some long takes, even gorgeous settings, the characters are more developed, the pacing takes advantage of every single minute of this short running time, the comedy is still somewhat funny, the interactions are as relatable as last time (or even more, or at least for me), the minimal soundtrack works when it is used, and the romance is taken to new directions but it still is believable. But the best thing of this sequel is the script. Thanks to Hawk and Delpy, the dialog is no longer the pretentious hippie Linklater´s trademark, it is natural, adequate to the age of these characters, emotional when it's appropriate, and overall more engaging.

"Before Sunset" is one of those sequels that are undeniably better than the original. It has all the elements that made the first one as unique and enjoyable but mixed with a more mature script and even powerful emotional moments.