The unique beauty of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise seemed an achievement that could never be duplicated. Its sublime artistry, coupled with two marvelous performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, created a lovely tone poem to romance and the notion of fate...though ambiguous fate, as the film left us wondering as to the future of this magical meeting.

The concept of a "sequel" (an almost derogatory term in this case...it's more like a continuation) to Before Sunrise didn't sit well with me. I worried that the magic of the first film would somehow be lessened if we revisited this couple years later. Essentially, there might be more hope and longing in the not knowing than in the knowing.

Amazingly enough, Linklater has crafted an even more ambitious, more breathtakingly real romance with Before Sunset. The structure is essentially the same, only this time we follow Jesse and Celine around the streets of Paris in real time, following a book appearance Jesse has just finished up. In the nine years past, Jesse has married, had a son, and published a book...detailing the events in Before Sunrise.

What follows is a stunningly realized sequence of long shots of the two of them, mostly just walking and talking. Though every move, gesture and word spoken was reportedly planned out in great detail, there's a freshness about it, a feeling of loose artistic abandonment, that is simply wondrous.

Mixed in with the ongoing dialogue about life, love and loss, Jesse and Celine begin to explore the ways in which their brief encounter has affected every single relationship they've had since. Jesse is married to a woman he once loved, but can't devote himself to anymore, despite his undying adoration for his son. Celine has hopped back and forth between unsatisfying emotional tie-ups, men who mistreat, or simply don't get, her.

It's in these latter moments where Before Sunset becomes something entirely different. What began as a kind of intellectual verbal sparring match between the former lovers becomes a reaffirmation of their affection for one another. Predictably, perhaps, Linklater concludes this film just as something may or may not happen...though this time there is perhaps a bit more hope. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have never been more natural. These feel like the roles they were born to play.

Before Sunset is a flat-out masterpiece, and surely the most beautifully realized American love story in years. Linklater's precision of style is so understated that often the wonder of the language belies the fact that the film is masterful from a formal standpoint. His shots are so expertly crafted the illusion of total immersion is near-unavoidable.

                                                                 © THE FILM JOURNAL 2004