Ended up watching The Before Trilogy in reverse order by accident, but I have to say, ending with Before Sunrise was unexpectedly beautiful. Seeing the places Jesse and Céline wander through in that first film, after knowing everything they will go through, gives those moments a haunting kind of weight. What was once romantic and full of possibility now feels fragile and fleeting. Their idealism, their undeniable connection, it all hits so differently when you know the joy, disillusionment, and even pains that lie ahead. I almost want to say the trilogy might be my favorite film, but I know that’s cheating.
Before Sunset is the most urgent and emotionally complex and easily the best of the three. Where Before Sunrise was full of youthful possibility, Sunset is haunted by time, missed chances and unspoken (and eventually spoken) longing. Delpy is absolutely electric here: sharp, funny, wounded, yet open in a way that feels both spontaneous and surgical. This is arguably her peak. The shot where Delpy almost touches Hawke before he turns to her is a heartbreaking gesture containing years of desire.
The entire film unfolds in (roughly) real-time, giving it a thrilling intimacy, as if we’re eavesdropping on a reckoning. The final 15-20 minutes are pure magic. Céline’s waltz is playful, nostalgic, and her own story in miniature.
After, they listen to Nina Simone. It’s romantic, a little sad, and slightly mischievous, just like Céline. “Baby, you’re gonna miss that plane.”
Before Sunset deepens everything that came before and sets up the the complicated (yet still hopeful, I believe) Before Midnight. But on its own, it’s a brief, breathtaking ode to who we were, who we want to be, and the possibility of second chances.