nan | 楠木

This 1995 prequel to Before Sunset, which was one of the quiet hits of 2004, is in retrospect dreamish and romantic– yet knowing what happened in Before Sunset, the dream depicted here seems hallow and foamy, a beautiful bubble just ready to burst.
There can be no complaints about either Ethan Hawke or Julie Delpy, who both give great performances. Delpy is especially fascinating at times with her gaze, conveying multitudes of emotions in one moment.
Vienna seems to be the perfect backdrop for this picturesque love story.
Just like its sequel, the dialogue is really the “juice” of the film. It’s not petty seductive talk with the sole purpose of getting the two leads in bed– rather it is genuinely interesting conversation offering us insight on the characters.
However, since I saw this film after Before Sunset, I couldn’t help but have a sense of doomed fate. I know this couple would not see each other after six months. I know they would spend the most precious years of their lives without each other. And in this gloomy shadow, does their brief encounter ever bear any importance, apart from offering them the countless “what if’s”?