Before Sunset (2004)

It's nine years after Jesse and Celine first met; now, they encounter one another on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Richard Linklater (screenplay), Julie Delpy (screenplay),

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ethan Hawke	...	Jesse
Julie Delpy	...	Celine
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Bookstore Manager
Louise Lemoine Torres	...	Journalist #1
Rodolphe Pauly	...	Journalist #2
Mariane Plasteig	...	Waitress
Diabolo	...	Philippe
Denis Evrard	...	Boat Attendant
Albert Delpy	...	Man at Grill
Marie Pillet	...	Woman in Courtyard

Storyline

Jesse, a writer from the US, and Celine, a Frenchwoman working for an environment protection organization, acquainted nine years ago on the train from Budapest to Vienna, meet again when Jesse arrives in Paris for a reading of his new book. As they have only a few hours until his plane leaves, they stroll through Paris, talking about their experiences, views and whether they still love each other, although Jesse is already married with a kid.

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Plot Keywords:

book | love | french | train | writer | 

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Taglines:

What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

17 June 2004 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Before Sunrise 2

Filming Locations:

Seine River, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$23,192 (Hong Kong) (15 October 2004)

Gross:

$5,792,822 (USA) (22 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jesse's last name is Wallace.

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Goofs

When Céline and Jesse are at the Café, a wire (of a microphone) is visible in Jesse's shirt.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Journalist #1: Do you consider the book to be autobiographical?
Jesse: Uh, well, I mean... isn't everything autobiographical?

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Connections

Referenced in Het glazen huis: Eigen agenda (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Just In Time"
Written by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne
Performed by Nina Simone
Licensed from The Estate of Nina Simone & Steven Ames Brown
Courtesy of Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

The only problem...

...is that it ends. This is a fantastic film. It joins the handful of movies where I think I liked the sequel even more than the original, although I liked 'Before Sunrise' as well. Where Sunrise captured the immediacy and urgency of perfect youthful love, Sunset reflects beautifully on the aftermath of that perfection. I remember a line that says "nothing that is complete breathes", and I think that is what we see in this film. A perfect connection with another human is a blessing and a curse; having experienced perfection a part of us stops breathing, unable or unwilling to mar the perfection of that memory.

The dialogue is amazing, the acting is spot-on; this is a great film. In some ways it felt more like reading a great novel than watching a movie, in that I really felt like I knew the characters and was sad the movie had to end. Kind of like saying goodbye to an old friend. If you are an action movie kind of person, skip this flick because it will bore you to tears. If, on the other hand, you like good dialogue, well formed characters, and aren't quite jaded enough to have given up completely on the idea of true love, don't miss this film.