Before Sunset
See What We Said Then

Experiencing “Before Sunset” again, it suddenly becomes obvious how small and insignificant the majority of films are.

Most movies, and most stories for that matter, start with a conflict, watch as characters react and adapt to that conflict, and then end with a climax in which a character reinvents himself to overcome what stands his way.

But not in “Before Sunset.”

Here, absolutely everything revolves around that very reinvention. And as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) stroll around Paris one sunny afternoon, they seem to be looking down on themselves, the movies, and life in general with a critical eye for what makes us who we are, and what universal questions define our existence.

Many movies use conflict as a means of purpose. But here, things are far simpler. In 1995, Jesse and Celine met on a train and spent one night wandering Vienna. They connected, fell in love, and promised to meet again.

But in “Before Sunset,” years have passed, and they are only now reuniting by chance in Paris, as Jesse tours the world with a book he wrote about their one, special evening. Between his press conference and his flight, they walk the streets, stop by a café, hop a bout tour and swing by Celine’s apartment.

And all the while, director Richard Linklater (“ School of Rock”) tries desperately to get out of the way and let the pure drama of that conversation play itself out.

See, in most fictions, there would be a misunderstanding or a disagreement that would fuel the story. It would give them something to disagree about, a reason to storm off, and a reason to declare their feelings.

But here, Linklater patiently watches as they simply walk and talk, like any old friends or lovers would. They delicately dance around the subjects they really want to discuss, slowly reveal their true feelings, and their reinvention does not occur at the traditional climax, but in the small sighs, glances and gestures that fill the entire film.

The result is a movie that feels more like a liberated theater production than a distilled Hollywood product, and a story that is more about the regrets and questions of life than standard characters overcoming standard conflicts.

The DVD’s sparse special features, limited to a theatrical trailer and a behind-the-scenes vignette, do help us to understand how the final feel of “Sunset” came to be.

For years, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy discussed the project and corresponded via e-mail, building lines of dialogue and scenes. And then, once the team was assembled to shoot the film, the production was intentionally left flexible so that plans could be changed at the last second and the film could feel more unpredictable.

It is a testament to the film’s production values that I never quite realized how difficult “Sunset” must have been to make. Consider the film’s extended scenes with a constantly moving camera, or the paragraphs of dialogue that had to be memorized for each take, or even the consistency of the afternoon sunlight that these filmmakers had to match daily. It is an expertly-made journey that appears effortless.

For many, “Sunset” will connect in small moments of insights and truths, and for everyone those moments that will be different. For me, the two moments are on a boat tour, as Jesse tells Celine that their lives would have been different if they had just reunited six months later, and then in a slow walk up a staircase, as their glances finally prove that their lives will never be the same again.

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