Before Sunset trilogy is a romantic movie released in February of 2004. Directed by Linklater, the movie finds American actor Ethan Hawke and French actress Julie Delpy reprising roles. After two acquaintances reencounter in Paris, they resume where they left off.
-Paris, France, 2003. Jesse (played by Hawke) has become a successful writer. After a 10-city-book tour, his last stop is the city of love, Paris. As he glances over during the Q&A, he sees Céline (Delpy).
Despite not seeing each other in 9 years, they resume their conversation. Nevertheless, the clock is ticking because he has a plane to catch to N.Y. before the sunset.
Can you imagine not seeing a friend in almost a decade? Where do you start? What do you ask? How do you make up for all the lost time?
In that department, they do what they do best. That is, they walk across the city where the wind takes them while sparking communication. A familiar scenario to them.
Their first stop is “Le Pure Café,” where they enjoy a warm beverage. Afterward, they continue wandering across a park and also take a boat ride.
While walking, they tackle topics such as religion, beliefs, destiny, love, memories, and so forth. Surprisingly, the conversation is as fluent as 9 years ago.
If anything has changed, it is their age. They are no longer the teenagers they once were and have moved on with their lives.
For instance, Jesse is married and has a son. On the other hand, Céline is also in a relationship. And they seem happy with their respective partners.
Yet as the sunset sets in, the truths start to appear. Admittedly, Jesse’s marriage is in shambles and the only thing keeping it together is his son. Just like on “Blue Valentine“.
For Céline, it is an identical tale. Unfortunately, they haven’t felt a connection with anyone else in almost a decade. Thus, settling with their partners just for commitment instead of love.
“I guess when you are young, you believe there will be many people with whom you will connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.”
– Céline, Before Sunset (2004)
Afterward, the what-ifs start to appear. So, what if they would have met on December 16, 1994? Or imagine they would have walked next to each other in ’98 when they both were living in N.Y.C.?
For some reason, they were not meant to cross paths again until now. Undoubtedly, they can’t change the past, but they can alter the present and thus the future.
For more information on how their lifetime journey continues, make sure to watch “Before Sunset” and the last part of the trilogy, “Before Midnight.”
