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Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torres, Rodolphe Pauly ... see more see more... , Marianne Plasteig , Diabolo , Albert Delpy , Marie Pillet

Richard Linklater directs the romantic drama Before Sunset, a sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) were strangers who spent a loquacious night together in Vien... read more read more...na. Nine years later, Jesse has written a book about the encounter. During his accelerated European book tour, he reunites with Celine in Paris. Before Jesse's flight home, he joins Celine for a picturesque walk around Paris peppered with intimate conversation: at first, about the minutiae of their day-to-day lives and their relationships, and then about their lingering feelings for one another. Before Sunset was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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89% liked it

61,591 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

159 critics

R, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Release Date: July 2, 2004

Keywords: romantic, dialogue

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DVD Release Date: November 9, 2004

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Stats: 5,231 reviews

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Linklater-Delpy-Hawke Before Sunset I feel like if someone were to touch me, I'd dissolve into molecules. Jesse & Celine Jesse, Celine & Che At the Sena Celine & Jesse Before Sunset Before Sunset Before Sunset Before Sunset Before Sunset On the set Before Sunset Jesse & Celine
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Flixster Reviews (5,231)

  • fb1033186916
    February 25, 2012
    fb1033186916
    A great sequel that lives up to the expectations of the first. Before Sunset, like the first, is both heartfelt and sweet, but what makes this different is its more mature take on love, mainly on choices pertaining to it, love lost and found. Delphy and Hawke also matures along w... read moreith the movie but still retaining the same old great chemistry of the first which made this movie work in the first place.
  • paulkoh110
    December 29, 2011
    paulkoh110
    I saw this before Before Sunrise and that may have changed my perspective on this film. I was completely unknown about the lover's previous relationship but in the end, a lot is shown about the beautiful bond between these two lovers. It shows off Paris while giving us a nice sto... read morery on the side. Julie Delpy shines and helps bring out Ethan Hawke's talents. Its a great watch and another film to remember Richard Linklater by.
  • stevenecarrier
    August 6, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    "Before Sunset" is everything I want from a sequel. Here is a magnificent, real time, sequel to one of the independent masterpieces of the 1990s. The film is tinged with a sweet melancholy and explores the nature of memory and the lasting effects of connection. Transcendent and d... read moreeeply moving, "Before Sunset" was the finest film of 2004.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    January 15, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Memory is a wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past."

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

    REVIEW
    ... read moreenter>
    Filmmaker Richard Linklater reunites with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in this follow-up to their romantic comedy/drama 'Before Sunrise' nine years later where the one-night standers are inevitably reunited when Hawke is in France for a book-reading of a thinly-veiled account of their wonderful day and night together. Picking up almost immediately from their last encounter the two chatty and intelligently pleasant lovers try to rekindle a lost flame but more importantly self-discover just where they are in life with some very funny and poignant almost improvised dialogue (the three artists collaborated on the script and storytelling at hand) which runs breezily thanks in large part to the exquisitely beautiful French locations in an effortless non-stop walk between the two (Lee Daniel's documentary-like cinematography gets the job done). Once again love triumphs for even the most cynical valentine wannabes.
  • cosmo313
    January 14, 2011
    cosmo313
    Nine years after they met and bonded over the course of a night in Vienna, an American guy named Jesse and a French woman named Celine meet up once again by chance in Paris and spend an afternoon trying to reconnect and pick up where they left off.

    This sequel to the wonderful... read more and brilliant Before Sunrise is not quite the masterpiece like its predecessor is, but this still worthy of getting a letter grade of "A". Where the first film was a romantic and heartfelt story that proved to Generation X-ers that it was possible to fall in love in a non-ironic way, this one is a breezy 80 real-time examination of regret, remorse, and the hope of regaining what's been lost. It's also less of an examination of things on gendered lines, and more of a broad generational statement about how things are once people mature and enter their 30s.

    Told through a series of long takes and tracking shots (but not exclusively), this story is full of heart, wisdom, and pain, but not once does it come across as false, pandering, or fantastical. It's just as real and touching as the first film, although, as to be expected, the romanticness of things is restrained. These charactrs have mostly moved on and matured, although Jesse seems to have taken longer to do so. Celine on the other hand, is just about as miserable and unsatisfied, but is carrying a lot more neuroses than before.

    The way I'm writing might make it sound like this movie is really a bummer, and it is to an extent, but not really. Honestly, it's kind of hard for me to explain it. Let's just say that it's not all sugar coated, but it's not all gloom and doom either. The performances are once again excellent, if not maybe just a tad better than before. The camera work is nice, the writing is sharp, and the ending is the best possible conclusion that there could be given the nature of the situation and characters.

    One could probably see this without having seen the first one and probably get it, but I wouldn't recomend that. See Before Sunrise, then see this one. Doing so will take a bit more time, but it is totally worth it and it makes this one even better. So yeah, I recommend this one, but take the above advice first.
  • SajinPA
    January 9, 2011
    SajinPA
    I loved it even better than 'Before Sunset'. The way Jesse & Celine have evolved shows how life take its toll in the space of 10 years.
  • ythelastman89
    January 6, 2011
    ythelastman89
    It's just as good as the original because it takes everything that I loved about the characters and just took it further. It's really interesting to see the same people pick up after almost 10 years apart and having it seem like they never were apart. Ethan Hawke especially gives... read more such an amazing performance, debatably even better than the original. Julie Delpy is great too and I think part of her character was meant to be anti-romantic. What really puts this movie into the category of unforgettable though is about the last twenty minutes, it's just unlike any other love story ever told and in many ways one of the most emotional.
  • fb619846742
    July 18, 2010
    fb619846742
    An effectively made, well-acted sequel to the extremely romantic "Before Sunrise" that somehow matches the original in both emotional impact and intense discussions. Both of these films are something special and risky, both hovering around the 80-85 minute mark where you're basic... read moreally just watching two people talk about themselves and their relationships. What makes this film special is its ability to look at the past and have both of its characters honestly express their inmost desires to be with one another, but they know too much time has elapsed and because of this both of them have become a victim to it. There is no kissing, making out, sex - nothing. Just pure, unadulterated, authentic dialogue that makes you wish more mainstream romantic films would take notes from this. Both of these characters feel like real people, and as a result of this, we come to love both of them, and like them, cherish the time we spend with each other.
  • SirPant
    September 15, 2009
    SirPant
    Before Sunrise gathered a huge global fan-base on its realise without becoming mainstream. It was a beautiful little indie that passed most people by, so you felt lucky to have caught it. I think the announcement of a sequel was a bit of a surprise to most people, I certainly had... read more my concerns, but thankfully, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy came up trumps. It's basically a continuation of the first film, albeit 9 years later. I challenge any cynic not to applaud the way this film handles, not just the question of love, but also how your perceptions of love change through time. Another beautiful film but I think it can be left alone now, there is no need for a third, we'll just use our imaginations as to what happens next.
  • aliceinpunderland
    August 6, 2008
    aliceinpunderland
    Liked it a little more than its prequel because the dialogue is less philosophical what-ifs and more grounded in past and present. I nearly *ahem* teared up at Celine's song but wish the film faded out on Jesse's "I know" rather than on Celine dancing.

View All Before Sunset Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Denby
August 1, 2004
David Denby, New Yorker

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are a rare case of two movies that rightfully demand yet another sequel.

Jay Boyar
July 30, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

A richer experience than the original. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
July 23, 2004
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Mr. Linklater and his two creative leads have managed a miraculous transformation of the characters from once-callow lovers into grown-ups teetering on the edge of eternity. Full Review

Joe Baltake
July 16, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

I found myself hoping that Linklater, Hawke and Delpy would revisit these characters in another 10 years. And perhaps again in 20 years. Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
July 15, 2004
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The chemistry between Jesse and Celine --- and Hawke and Delpy and, for that matter, Linklater --- is as immediate as it is appealing. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
July 9, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Allows you to watch two deeply engaged and engaging performers moving verbally through delicately negotiated layers of delight, apprehension, desire and surrender. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
July 9, 2004
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Hawke and Delpy are credited with writing some of the dialogue, presumably as improvisations. They manage to be both natural and intense, and their characters feel real, even if the situation does not. Full Review

Tom Long
July 9, 2004
Tom Long, Detroit News

A simply amazing film -- touching, sexy, smart, sad and, beyond all, passionate about the value of time and love.

Lisa Kennedy
July 9, 2004
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

How often does a visual medium make such an elegant argument about the beauty of language, even as it asserts its right to tell a story and move us with its vision? Full Review

Robert Denerstein
July 9, 2004
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

For my money, Sunset tops the first installment because it involves characters who have more life under their belts. Nothing like a few years to clarify a personality.

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Facts

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    • Celine: Baby you are gonna miss that plane..
    • Celine: You realize that most of the people that you meet are trying to get somewhere better, trying to make a little bit more cash, trying to get a little more respect, have more people admire them, you know... it's just exhausting!
    • Celine: Even being alone, it's better than sitting next to a lover and feeling lonely.
    • Celine: There are so many things I want to do, but I end up doing not much.
    • Celine: You can never replace anyone because everyone is made up of such beautiful specific details.
    • Celine: So, I want to try something.
    • Jesse: What?
    • Celine: [hugs him] I want to see if you stay together or if you dissolve into molecules.
    • Jesse: How am I doing?
    • Celine: Still here.
    • Jesse: Good, I like being here.
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Before Sunset Trivia

  • In what movie do three sisters come back from the dead and have to suck the lives out of all the children before sunset on halloween night?  Answer »
  • Name the 2004 sequel to the 1995 movie "Before Sunrise"?  Answer »
  • What are the two lead characters names in the movies Before Sunrise and Before Sunset?  Answer »
  • How much time passed between the movies Before Sunrise and Before Sunset?  Answer »
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