Before Sunset

STRONG 9. let me preface this by saying: DON'T let the (decreased) score fool you. this is still one of my favorite movies of all time. but, on the rewatch, it was missing something. i'll get back to the later. when i first saw Before Sunset, i thought it was not only a love letter to the people you feel comfortable being vulnerable to, but a significant upgrade over Before Sunrise. not only did i feel that the sequel did everything better (prettier colors, prettier actors, and prettier dialogue), but THIS film introduces new ideas that, instead of being hopelessly romantic, like in Before Sunrise, opt for being sobering, yet hopeful. and then it does it all in an insanely natural and realistic way (at least in how these ideas are delivered and expanded upon). yeah, i'm still in love with the ideas this film presents. whether its questioning the danger of romanticizing things (chasing a high you met on one “perfect” occasion with all future experiences, as per jesse and celine’s desire to recapture what they had in vienna), emphasizing the need to be hopeful (celine’s work with green cross, as well as her cynical approach to relationships), or focusing on the present (as per jesse’s no-longer-existent band, as well as his obsession with the past), there's no denying that this movie is an expertly woven tapestry of ideology. and YET there's something missing in this film that comes as a result of watching Before Sunset without Before Sunrise. you don't really SEE the growth (or rather, how these characters choose to react to these different circumstances) as clearly when you only watch the sequel. i think this film only achieves that 10. score when companioned with its prequel.