Before Sunset (2004)

The Plot
Jesse and Celine meet again in Paris 9 yrs after their last meeting in Vienna. Jesse is a published author now and Celine comes for his book reading session. The book is expectedly about their one night encounter 9 yrs back.

Celine lives in Paris and she is a social activist. They start talking about how their lives have changed in these past 9 yrs. They go around Paris walking, sailing in the cruise and Jesse also goes to Celine's home in the end.

Both their current lives aren't exactly rosy and they realize that their one night together had been affecting their lives in myriad ways.

                                                                         
Hits

• Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke continue their magical chemistry and bonding in this movie. Just taking over from where they left off 9 yrs earlier. 


• Some of the scenes for Celine are just magically worked out like the scene in the cruise where she talks about how she can't forget each of her boyfriends and how each of them has a special quality or the scene in the car where she pours her heart out to Jesse about she being bad at relationships and how that one night had drained all the romance out of her. 


• Jesse also has his poignant scene in the car when he says how he has weird dreams about Celine and how he feels close to her even now whereas he feels his wife is like a million miles away from him. 


• The final scene where Celine sings a waltz to Jesse about their one night and Jesse looking on romantically in sheer appreciation is sheer CLASS. The way the scene of Celine dancing fades out in the end is another goose bumps moment. 

VERDICT

The same director-actor-actress trio ups the ante yet again to give a memorable sequel to 'Before Sunrise'. Equally good if not better.

Before Sunrise (1995)

The Plot

Jesse and Celine meet in a train in Europe and they start conversing with each other naturally. What starts off in the train continues as a full day in Austria, as the 2 get down at the Vienna station and decide to go out with each other.

They have a lot of meaningful and informative conversations and find out that they are the perfect match for each other. They have their first kiss; they make love and basically fall madly for each other by the end of their Vienna sojourn.

They get back to their lives in the end with a pact that they would meet at the same place 6 months later.

                                                                             

Hits

• Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy behave perfectly naturally and they look made for each other. Though Ethan looks girly and tries too hard to impress her at times, he is endearing on the whole. Julie is a total charmer and is likeable to the core.

VERDICT

One of those rare romantic movies that doesn’t look too mushy and melodramatic and just gives an impression of watching 2 passionate lovers.