MEOW! Presents: SUNRISE, SUNSET: My Reviews of BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET right here!

June 6th, 2013

MEOW!



Have you ever come across a film that you choose to write about, and have incredible difficulty finding the right words to express how wonderful it is? I guess that's what love does to people, and when analyzing a film like Before Sunrise, it feels like a definition of such an idea. I'll just cut straight to the heart in a metaphorical sense: Before Sunrise is an absolutely WONDERFUL film, with a WONDERFULLY bold direction by Richard Linklater, a WONDERFULLY written screenplay by Kim Krizan and Richard Linklater, and two WONDERFUL performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Simply put, it's WONDERFUL! 

The beautifully simple premise? Two people, a man and a woman, meet on a train and strike up a conversation; they enjoy each other's companies so much that they decide to continue more insightful conversations in Vienna until they eventually fall in love with each other. Now on an explicit level, that doesn't sound like much, but the beauty of a conversation between two people is the amount of emotional and intellectual depth they both seem to have. While their ramblings may not be entirely accurate, it's one's perception of another that determines their own beliefs, which is, hey, just like someone investing their energy into a film. 

Speaking of which, boy, where do I begin? Some of my favorite moments of this film were playing in my thoughts for the rest of the day. One is when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) successfully convinces Celine (Julie Delpy) to get off the train and walk around Vienna with him. Another is when they are both in a record shop, and while listening to a song, they have subtle facial expressions that say "Hmmm...should we kiss to this soOH NO, look away." Then there's the ending. Oh gosh, that ending; I can go on and on about it, but I would be spoiling one of the most satisfying endings ever committed to celluloid.

Those scenes, along with several others, are contained in a heartfelt and thoughtful screenplay written by Kim Krizan and Richard Linklater. One line of dialogue excellently sums up my opinion regarding the art of conversation itself:

"If there's any kind of magic in this world...it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something. I know it's almost impossible to succeed...but who cares, really? The answer must be in the attempt."

Krizan and Linklater's dialogue is enhanced through the brilliantly nuanced performances of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. I swear, their chemistry is so natural that you could believe that they are a couple in real-life. They are also responsible for not only carrying this film, but elevating it to its true, ambitious potential, and they pull it off with exceptional ease (The only nitpick I have with Delpy is that her accent is sometimes so thick that one would have to strain to understand exactly what she's saying. However, it's easy to understand the basis of what she's talking about to Jesse, and also, love is a universal language, so...yeah, nitpick done). On top of that, Lee Daniel's cinematography beautifully captures the atmosphere of falling in love in a romantic setting, while also remaining on a realistically grounded and plausible level. Also notable are some of the long-take sequences; there's one take of Jesse and Celine talking to each other on a trolley for approximately ten minutes. It's an exhilarating commitment to those working behind and in front of the camera.

Before Sunrise will not be for everyone, especially for those who are used to mind-blowing action sequences and over-the-top characters (I personally don't mind them as long as it's done well and serves a legitimate purpose). But for any couple who will be more than happy to watch a romantic film together, for any person wishing to seek a legitimate concept of either happiness, love, melancholy or sadness, or for anyone just wanting to watch an absolutely WONDERFUL piece of cinema, I have four words of advice just for you: Get. Off. That. Train! 



Before Sunset was a film that I immediately looked forward to the minute Sunrise's credits began to roll, and for the most part, it met and sometimes exceeded my expectations, though I must admit that the magic of its predecessor is no longer apparent. To be fair, that's not entirely the film's fault; the characters that we've come to know and love in Sunrise have obviously matured, and understood more about the world than most of us would even know. Maybe they know a little too much for my taste, and perhaps the structure of when they speak becomes a little overdrawn and repetitive during the first half. Still, it's excellently acted and crafted once again; it leaves me curious about how Before Midnight will turn out.

Set nine years after the events of Sunrise, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) reunite in a french bookstore after Jesse's book signing; you can't help but feel satisfied with their reunion after all those years of separation. From there, they continue with even more conversations before Jesse has to board a plane just before sunset (<--The puns. They're alive). One conversation in a french taxi cab reveals a couple of truths about themselves, and they wonder if the lives they're living right now are worth changing for the better after all. 

There are a few touches in this film that I found inspired. One is that Paris in Sunset strikes an appropriately familiar resemblance with Vienna in Sunrise; it allows the nostalgia of Jesse and Celine's previous experience nine years ago to speak for itself, even when they are talking about something entirely different. There's also one long take when Celine holds a cat while they are both walking upstairs; whether Delpy is a cat-lover can remain a mystery for now, but anyone who authentically holds a cat for such a long period time deserve major props in my book. And if I may say, Celine can sing me a waltz any time of the week (especially without auto-tune!); it's easily a highlight out of both of these films. 

It's those touches that beautifully re-capture what I loved about Before Sunrise, and they are more than enough to recommend it, but there's no doubt in my mind that the magic is long and gone. For the first half of this film, it feels like one long conversation while not allowing the viewer to absorb the information that Jesse and Celine are talking about. And while this is the shortest of the two (the shortest of the three if you count Midnight), the film is more drawn out than it needs to be; it's understandable why since it's their first encounter in nine years, but what they are talking about starts to get too repetitive in its own structure. 

That being said, what keeps Before Sunset afloat are the performances of Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and I would even say Richard Linklater. Yes, even a film director can give a great performance behind the camera, and Linklater's bond with these two actors demonstrate how much of a bond all three of them have. So while it's no Sunrise, it does continue these characters' journies in a positive light, and I am curious to see how it will play out just before the stroke of twelve (that is, if it EVER comes out around my hometown). 

Out of the thirteen letters of its title, I give Before Sunrise:

 


 


And out of the twelve letters of its title, I give Before Sunset:

   




Until next time,

MEOW!