The Sun Also Sets

So now, the full truth. I recently wrote about the movie Before Sunrise, but the way I first learned of the movie was through its sequel, Before Sunset. It caught my attention because it was so strange to contemplate the notion that a small, independent movie would even have a sequel made. And this sequel received mostly rave reviews. I was curious to see what the fuss was all about... but only after watching the original.

Before Sunset takes place -- as in real life -- nine years after the original film. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return to their roles (Jesse and Celine), and Richard Linklater returns to direct. The three together fashioned the screenplay. This time, the story is set in Paris. Jesse has written a book about his incredible one night experience in the first film, and is now on the last stop of a European book tour to promote it. He's scheduled to get on a plane that very night, when Celine shows up at his book signing. It turns out that while the two resolved to meet again six months after the events of the first film, that never happened, and they're now seeing each other for the first time since their one night together.

It's hard to evaluate this movie without comparing it to the first film. Both are intimate character studies stuffed full of provocative dialogue. Both feature very skilled performances from the two main actors, very naturalistic, relaxed, and believable.

This movie is much more interesting from a story-crafting standpoint. This time, the conceit of having a plane to catch compresses things even more tightly than in the original. As a result, this movie actually unfolds in real time, with no interruptions or time lapses in the action. Even more than in the original, you're simply with these characters for the entire duration of the film.

Where I thought the first movie's biggest flaw was that it perhaps somehow didn't seem "big enough" to be a film, this movie is much more successful. The characters move around Paris, leaving the bookstore, stopping in a cafe, doing some sightseeing, riding a boat... and there's some more sophisticated camera work here than in the original too. The story is no less personal or intimate, and it still could work as a one-act play (particularly as this movie runs only 80 minutes), but it somehow feels more "right" that it be a movie.

That said, the dialogue doesn't quite have the same crackle to it as the first film. As one would expect with the characters now being more mature, the subjects they discuss get sometimes more serious. There are moments that occasionally feel a bit forced here, where things flowed more smoothly the first time around. And yet, at the same time, there are more moments of humor this time, and those play very naturally and believably.

Had I known of the original movie first, and then learned of the sequel, I think I would have been very skeptical. The first movie leaves on a wonderful and ambiguous note that leaves you thinking about whatever happened to the characters. The idea that a second movie would come along to tell you exactly what happened sounds like it would cheapen that. That said, if indeed there was to be a sequel, this was the right one. It honors the original, makes you excited to see the characters again, and entertains.

I will say that I thought it was maybe just a touch less good than the first film, but it's still a nice story. I rate Before Sunset a B-.