Review of Before Sunset (2004) by Vincent N — 27 Jan 2012

Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset are not your usual romantic movie which is often too beautiful to be true. In addition to that, the connection between actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy really matches the relationship between their characters who at first truly get along with each other rather than simply fall in love with each other.

Before Sunrise takes place in Vienna in the mid-nineties. Jesse and Celine meet on a train and since they get on well with each other they decide to spend one day and one night in Vienna. Watching this movie I felt that everything happens too fast, their relationship evolves really quickly. I mean sure there is such a thing as love at first sight and this movie is more realistic about human relationship than 99% of romantic (comedy) films, but I cannot help but thinking that in real life things don't happen so quickly especially at the beginning.

Before Sunset is the sequel of Before Sunrise and what is interesting is that it was shot with the same actors 9 years after the first film, that is to say exactly the same amount of time that has lapsed in the story since the events of Before Sunrise. It takes place in Paris where Jesse and Celine meet up for the second time. I enjoyed more Before Sunset. First, it is easier to relate to the characters since we already know them. Moreover, even if the dialogue are good in the first film, they are better in Before Sunset because the characters are more mature. Eventually, it is interesting to watch (the characters reflect on) how their lives and dreams have changed since their first encounter.

It seems contradictory, but Before Sunset is better thanks to the background events of Before Sunrise.

To conclude, my advice to really enjoy this movie experience is to watch Before Sunset, then wait a few weeks before watching Before Sunset.