Before Sunrise/Before Sunset

My love for Ethan Hawke never ceases to amaze me. I realized I had a man crush on him one day when I started browsing my DVD collection. I realized I had a disproportionate number of movies starring Ethan Hawke. Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Gattaca, Great Expectations, Training Day, Lord of War, Waking Life, Before the Devil Knows Your Dead. 8 movies in full from a little over 100. I started adding up who I thought would be his next closest competitor and I came up with Matt Damon with 7. So I'm now realizing I need to profess my man crush for Matt Damon in a later blog. But ANYWAY, I find Ethan Hawke to be an endearing actor. He always plays his rolls with a certain sort of humanity. He seems like a real person who you could hold a nice existential conversation with. Which lead to a perfect segue, I must say, into 2 movies that have little to offer except fantastic conversation.

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are two movies that take a picture in time of two romantics spanning 10 years. Before Sunrise takes place in Vienna where two young adults, Jesse and Celine, meet on a train heading towards two separate destinations. Based on a short conversation, the two have the crazy idea to hop off the train in Vienna and spend one day/night together not exactly sure what will transpire.

If conversation doesn't cut it for you, this movie will put you to sleep. This is the only movie I know of where EVERY chapter is designated by the topic of conversation. But if you like dialogue that you can't predict (which is what attracts me to movies in the first place, the lack of ability to predict what's coming next, for good movies anyway), then you'll be in for a treat.

From the moment they get off the train the two obviously have a strong attraction for each other. Early on in the day they venture into a vintage record store and head to a booth together to listen to some tunes. As the song plays lyrics such as "I'm not impossible to touch, I have never wanted you so much" they try to make eye contact but both shy away at every glance. The scene is filled with so much sexual tension that you'd think the door to the booth would blow off.

As the day turns to night they delve into too many topics of conversation to cover. But needless to say, they play off each other and develop a bond about as quick as you can. They eventually trade a kiss on a lift, and share their passion for each other under a full moon in the park. They wake early the next morning and are hurried as Jesse must make a flight back home. They quickly dismiss trading phone numbers because "they call once or twice" and then it "fizzles out." So they take the romantic route and decide to return to each other in the train station they met exactly six months to the day. They part ways and both "promise" to make that return trip.

That basically sums up Before Sunrise. In my mind it's a precursor to the best movie I've ever seen that doesn't involve explosions of some sort.

Needles to say, the two never meet six months later which we learn during the beginning of Before Sunset. The movie takes place 10 years later from when they met. Jesse is on a book tour promoting his novel that disects his night together with Celine. It has become a best seller and Paris is his last stop on the tour (which happens to be where Celine lives, or he hopes she still does). Surprise, surprise, Celine shows up at the bookstore where he's giving his interview about his book. He sees her in an aisle while he's trying to answer a question. He stumbles through the rest of his response and then quickly ends the session.

He meets up with her and they have one of those moments. You know the type. "So hey.....what's up?" "How you been?" "Good good?" "And you?" . . . silence . . . ackward look . . . silence . . . laughter. They eventually get over the uncomfortable moment and start with some good natured talking about how each other has been and the such. We learn that Jesse actually DID show up in Vienna six months later, while Celine stood him up because she attended her aunt's funeral. They have one of the funniest, "oops smack on the forehead" trades of dialogue I've ever seen when they wonder why they never traded phone numbers, addresses, anything! Ironically they learn that they both lived in New York for a brief time.

The movie is shot in real-time as Jesse and Celine try to cram as much catching up as they can before Jesse has to catch another flight home. They talk and talk from coffee shop, to beautiful garden, to water taxi, and eventually to Celine's apartment. During the time they spend together, they slowly open up more and more to the point where they are sharing their devastations in their relationships and in their lives stemming from that hopeful night in Vienna. The limo ride to Celine's apartment is a memorable moment. Jesse even shares that his SOLE motivation for writing the book was that one day he would find her. How romantic is that???

Jesse prolongs their encounter, putting off leaving for the airport, offering to drive Celine home to her apartment. Before Jesse is to go, he invites himself up to see her flat with little fight from Celine. In the apartment is one of the best scenes I've encountered. Celine admits she plays a little guitar and Jesse coaxes her into playing one of her tunes which she calls a "waltz". Julie Delpy, Celine, actually plays the song and sings, showing off her musical talents. The sexual tension during this scene is escalated by the lyrics of the song:

Let me sing you a waltz about this one night stand, you were for me that night everything I dreamt of in life, But now you're gone, far gone, to your island of rain . . . it was for you a one night thing, but you were much more to me . . . One single night with you, little Jesse, is worth a thousand with anybody . . . I'll never forget this one night thing, Even tomorrow in other arms, My heart will stay yours until I die

The looks Jesse is shooting her during this waltz are simply amazing. Ethan Hawke does so much with this scene by doing so little. He lightens the tension after the song by saying "Do you just plug that name in for every guy that comes up here?" Her response: "Oh, yes, of course!"

They continue on talking for a bit, and time is running short for Jesse to make his flight. Celine playfully says, "You are gonna miss that plane", and just soft enough that Celine can't hear, Jesse says, "I know". End of movie, closing credits. Probably the best ending scene of a movie in the history of man. Slight over statement, but you know. A perfect ending in my view. It leaves open so many possibilities and sets up a sequel due out in 2015. I sure hope so anyway.

I watched Before Sunset BEFORE I had seen the first movie, Before Sunrise. I thought to myself this is a pretty good movie. Then I realized it was the second movie and I hurriedly watched Before Sunrise. It was at this point that I had some context for Before Sunset so I watched it again. It was one of the most gratifying payoffs I've ever had. I beg any fan of great movies to watch these movies in sequence. Both movies are short running around 90 minutes, so I'm not asking for too much. These types of movies are unique and timeless. Anybody that likes to think a bit out of the box will appreciate these movies.

Just remember: YOU HAVE TO LIKE DIALOGUE!!!