After being known to each other for 20 years, Jesse & Celine spend some time in Greece, see Jesse’s son off & continue with their vacation visiting ruins, conversing with friends & trying to kindle some nostalgic air. Talks diverge across topics putting their relationship to a bit of a test & the events of the holiday culminate just before midnight by the sea-side!
Language:
English
Running Time:
109 min
Rating:
R
Release date:
14 June 2013
Directed by:
Richard Linklater
Produced by:
Richard Linklater
Christos V. Konstantakopoulos
Sara Woodhatch
Written by:
Bob Nelson
Julie Delpy
Ethan Hawke
Starring:
Ethan Hawke
Julie Delpy
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
Jennifer Prior
Charlotte Prior
Music by:
Graham Reynolds
Shot by:
Christos Voudouris
Editing by:
Sandra Adair
Distributed by:
Sony Pictures Classics

What’s Hot

  • The film is a sequel to Before Sunrise & Before Sunset, two of the best conversation-based romantic films of the last few years and the fact that the essence is maintained here too, shows the talent of its maker Richard Linklater.
  • Linklater’s simple & straight screenplay and the charming lead pair, provide the perfect foil to the layered dialogues that the conversations in the film carry, making it fit for a pretty interesting watch.
  • Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy should arguably be the most realistic on-screen pairing. The striking chemistry the pair shares makes us feel we are watching a real event unfold rather than a film! The entire sequence in the car after sending Jesse’s son off seems to have been made in one take and the amount of dialogues in the conversation are too difficult to pull off in a take. They do it with ease.
  • Dialogues are a major strong point of the film & for sample, the conversations among friends at the dinner table & the pair-talk during strolls are high points. The candid style of cinematography suits the mood and intensity of the film.

What’s Not

  • Comparisons are inevitable. So, when one pits this against the earlier 2 in the series, this one doesn’t top them thanks to a bit of sagging towards the end.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

The film brings to life the love, differences in opinions even intimate couples could have and how simple things can spark them off & how memories from a relationship can help soothe the accidental burns.