Review of Before Sunset (2004) by Guido M — 29 Oct 2014

Nine years after the romantic one night stand viewers were part in, in Linklater's Masterpiece "Before Sunrise", this sequel tries to establish a second encounter between this two not-anymore strangers. I was pretty skeptical from the beginning feeling that "Before Sunrise" is an amazing standalone film. Well, "Before Sunset" is very good, but never quite reaches the heights of the first one.

"Before Sunset" changes focus. What first was a love story, is now a more playful, raunchy re-encounter between two people who had some kind of past. The jokes are meaner, and the wittiness unfortunately decreases, but the film also improves on the laughs and also the drama involved in not seeing someone, in getting married, etc. Once again, Linklater proves to be master at showing what time does to people, in this case, to people who were in love. I also enjoyed how everything in this sequel seems to bring back to that special night in Viena the viewers had. The tounge-to-cheek script along with the always alluring Paris makes for intricate, fun and utterly enjoyable viewing.

Everything in "Sunset", however, feels more set up than in "Sunrise". In the original film, the meeting of this two strangers was very much random, so is their day at Viena. In here, the encounter seems to be much more planned, and even the places they visit seem to be synthetically set up. The film relies on the chemistry of the protagonist and the dialogue they are having for you to not see the backgrounds, but that sort of freelance feeling made the original so great. And knowing now this turned out to be a trilogy, makes the ending of this middle chapter much more meaningful, although honestly, it can't escape its middle chapter feel. However, this is superior to many romantic comedies out there, and also has that Woody Allen-esque feel that makes it particularly delicious to bite into. "Before Sunset" is a sweet treat that is only kept restrained by the shadow of its superior predecessor.