Before Sunset

USA 2004, 77 minutes
Dir. Richard Linklater
Rating: [M]
Genres: Drama / Independent, Romance

Aroview: Taking up some nine years after their characters met in BEFORE SUNRISE, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, now in their mid-thirties, reacquaint themselves on the boulevards of Paris.

Where its predecessor was a paean to fresh-faced twenty-something idealism, here the romantic spirit remains alive but is tempered by time, responsibility and compromises of the post-youth experience. Owing more to the introspection of European cinema and the dense scripting of theatre, this works a treat as a stand-alone film and adds value to the original, but taken as a pair this is a significant and sublimely satisfying work.

NZ International Film Festival 2004

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-5 of 5 member reviews.

I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
5 stars (Exceptional) Not only improves on the original (impressive enough in itself), but provides a reflective contrast which actually enriches BOTH films! Hawke and Delpy are wonderful (they co-wrote, too). And it has one of the finest fade-outs I've ever seen. Sublime. ~fairbrother
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
4 stars (Very Good) Jesse & Celine reunite nine years after one life altering night together in Vienna. This time it's Paris where Celine is living & Jesse is visiting from America to launch his book. The dialogue really carries these films & this is a much needed follow-up ~GenXGirl
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
5 stars (Exceptional) Better than the first one. Themes rarely touched on (well) in film circulate two incredible performances in a movie that ends at the perfect moment. It eloquently talks the way you wish you could, about a very real relationship. ~Sevenhead
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
5 stars (Exceptional) Very likeable. A fine film, interesting, dense, realistic & witty; unexpected. A great screenplay with real, spontaneous exchanges & a great story; very convincing. Intense dialogue. ~Sandy
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
2 stars (Good Try) They are an odd couple - Delpy and the camera are made for each other but Hawke looks like he's been dropped off from a spaceship. However, both give as good as they get in the talking department. ~Tubbs