Barnes & Noble

This thoughtful drama should draw in anyone who has ever fretted over missed opportunities or speculated on the long-term effects of impulsive decisions. A sequel to 1995’s Before Sunrise, the film reunites that film’s stars, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, with director and Richard Linklater. In the original, Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) met on a train and disembarked in Vienna, where they spent his last night in Europe and promised to rendezvous in six months -- a promise he failed to keep. Now a published novelist attending a book signing in Paris, Jesse again encounters his erstwhile soul mate, and they continue the conversation they began nearly a decade ago. In its quiet, unassuming way, Before Sunset presents a string of revelations that would be surprising (and unbelievable) in many dramas but which make perfect sense here. Delpy and Hawke collaborated on the script, and as a result their exchanges are so natural, so realistic, that you’ll feel more like an eavesdropper than a casual viewer. Their interaction is touching, at some points almost heartbreakingly so. Was their initial meeting just the impetuous pairing of two inexperienced, adventurous young people? Did they miss out on a wonderful lifetime together? Is it too late for them to pursue happiness together? Before Sunset answers these questions, and others, with an ingenuous mix of spontaneity and stagecraft. Linklater shoots pieces of the conversation in lengthy takes that have the feel of improvisations but which, in actuality, were tightly scripted and carefully rehearsed. The two stars, real-life friends whose offscreen lives intersected in ways similar to those described by Jesse and Celine, have an undeniable chemistry, and the palpable longing they feel for each other comes across in every frame. A modest, unpretentious film that came and went all too quickly, Before Sunset is just the type of movie that provides the intimate experience often afforded by viewing at home on DVD. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Richard Linklater directs the romantic drama Before Sunset, a sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) were strangers who spent a loquacious night together in Vienna. Nine years later, Jesse has written a book about the encounter. During his accelerated European book tour, he reunites with Celine in Paris. Before Jesse's flight home, he joins Celine for a picturesque walk around Paris peppered with intimate conversation: at first, about the minutiae of their day-to-day lives and their relationships, and then about their lingering feelings for one another. Before Sunset was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Andrea LeVasseur

Product Details

• UPC: 085393896225
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:20:00
• Sales Rank: 11,215

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