Before Sunset

Amazing movie. We revisit Jesse and Celine nine years later, Jesse now a successful book author (with his book based on him and Celine's encounter nine years prior) and Celine an international activist for Green Cross, an environmental organization. Celine surprises Jesse by appearing at his book signing in Paris, and they spend the afternoon together before Jesse has to catch his plane (hence, "Before Sunset"). This is just a beautiful movie on various fronts. It just feels warm- the Paris visuals are amazing, and it feels like we are being reunited with old friends. It takes some time for Jesse and Celine to hit their stride once more, but they are able to do so. I also really like how their concerns are just different know that they have aged- both are technically in relationships but neither are truly happy. They realize the naivety of their younger selves in believing they would find many people they would connect with when, really, in life you only come across few people who you connect with on a deep, internal level. But yet as adults they don't just fall back into each other's arms as a cliché of many romantic films- Celine enjoys being alone (as she doesn't see her partner often) and Jesse knows he cannot let down his son. I also love the ending- we think it's heartbreaking that Jesse and Celine are leaving each other once more, and Jesse tries to delay this several times (offering to go on a boat ride with Celine near her home, to then drive her home, to then walk her to her door, to then go inside her apartment for some tea and a song). And yet the film instead ends with Jesse acknowledging he is probably going to miss his flight. And it just ends there. It circles back to the beginning of the movie, as Jesse is signing a book saying that he left the ending of his book to various interpretations- a cynic might believe him and Celine never see each other again, a romantic may think they find each other again for sure, and someone in-between might try to have hope. In a film that is a short amount of time, it feels like we really get to know more about the characters and how they've developed since we saw them last 9 years ago. Combine them with natural, real chemistry between Hawke and Delpy (with a particularly excellent performance by Delpy), a beautiful setting and well-written screenplay, and you just have a great film.