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Celebrated American independent filmmaker Richard Linklater (“School of Rock” & “Tape”) relives past glories with a little help from performer turned screenwriter Kim Krizan and his two leads for this curious sequel which premiered at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

American abroad Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meets French environmentalist Céline (Julie Delpy) on a book signing tour and persuades her to join him for an afternoon exploring Paris some nine years after thir first encounter to randomly ramble about both geographically and conversationally until their seemingly doomed love slowly turns into an initial attraction.

Troubled star Ethan Hawke (“Tape” & “Training Day”) draws on his own break-up with Uma Thurman for the most powerful in a long series of collaborations with the director while long-term sparring partner Julie Delpy (“Waking Life” & “Investigating Sex”) sing-a-long for a more personal story which the two helped co-write.

The largely Paris based supporting cast consisting of Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torres, Rodolphe Pauly, Diabolo and a brief cameos from Julie Delpy’s parents Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet is once given little more to do than provide a bit of exotic local colour and some grist for the seemingly never stopping mill of the leads’ conversation.

The self-taught director picks up some nine years after the last film left-off to great effect as the maturity now afforded the two lead characters gives them a new found maturity which moves their duologue beyond the sophomoric intellectual masturbation of their last appearance in “Waking Life” to the more mature level of “pick a finger”.

Perhaps not as brave a piece of filmmaking as the original outing it nonetheless continues the director’s patented barrage of ideas through hyper-realistic conversation in a far truer frame which overcomes the previous films failings by truly opening its performers up for engagement and maybe even more importantly clocking out at a far more acceptable 77 minutes.

“Memory is a wonderful thing if you don’t have to deal with the past.”

Saya belum pernah menonton film “Before Sunrise”. Namun, dalam film “Before Sunset” ini, saya menangkap bahwa bagi dua karakter utama film ini, malam panjang yang dilalui meeka berdua dalam film “Before Sunrise” adalah sebuah malam yang romantis dan langka. Setelah 9 tahun sejak pertemuan mereka untuk pertama kali di Vienna, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) dan Celine (Julie Delpy) akhirnya kembali bertemu di kota Paris saat Jese sedang mempromosikan novelnya yang menjadi bestseller di Amerika, “This Time”, yang menceritakan momen-momen yang mereka habiskan bersama di Vienna. Sepanjang film ini, kita mengikuti pembicaraan mereka yang dimulai dari penjelasan Celine akan meninggalnya Neneknya yang membuat dirinya tidak bisa datang ke Vienna 9 tahun lalu dan mengecewakan Jesse, sampai dengan bagaimana perasaan mereka terhadap satu sama lain setelah 9 tahun. Pembicaraan panjang ini terjadi dengan batasan waktu keberangkatan Jesse ke bandara untuk pulang kembali ke Amerika.

Kekuatan utama film ini berada pada dialognya. A.O Scott dalam reviewnya untuk film ini berkata,“Can’t they just say what they mean? Can you? Language, after all, is not about points and meanings. It is a medium of communication, yes, but also of avoidance, misdirection, self-protection and plain confusion, all of which are among the themes of this movie, which captures the deep truth seldom acknowledge on screen or in books.” Apa yang ditulis oleh A.O Scott sudah menggambarkan kekuatan dialog dalam film ini yang begitu tidak biasa. Dialog yang diucapkan bukanlah sesederhana pengucapan kata “Iya” oleh seorang aktor dengan ekspresi yang jelas menyatakan dia telah berbohong. Terkadang pada beberapa adegan, saya berpikir bahwa mereka sudah menyatakan apa yang mereka sebenarnya rasakan. Namun, saya kembali berpikir adanya kemungkinan besar bahwa mereka masih menyimpan sesuatu yang lebih dalam lagi dibalik kata-kata mereka.

Dalam adegan di sebuah perahu turis, Jesse mengakui bahwa dia menulis buku itu sebagai sebuah cara untuk bisa bertemu dengan Celine kembali. Itu berarti Jesse sudah mempersiapkan diri jika bertemu dengan Celine, begitu juga dengan Celine. Hal ini membawa mereka bertemu dengan menyeret sebuah kantung besar berisi semua pengalaman yang telah mereka lalui sejak 9 tahun lalu, tapi dengan tetap memegang sebuah perisai di tangan yang lain untuk menjaga agar perasaan mereka tidak begitu mudah terbaca satu sama lain. Ini mengingatkan saya akan kata-kata Ibu saya, yaitu “Tiko, kamu jangan terlalu ekspresif. Nanti mudah dibaca orang dan itu nggak bagus, Nak.” Saya rasa Jesse dan Celine juga memahami hal yang sama. Namun, permasalahannya adalah mereka mencintai satu sama lain. Cinta itu membuat mereka menurunkan perisai meeka dan membuka ikatan kantung besar yang mereka seret sedikit demi sedikit.

Dialog dalam “Before Sunset” memiliki kemampuan untuk berkembang dengan usia penonton. Terakhir kali saya menonton film ini adalah sekitar 1,5 tahun lalu saat saya masih berumur 17 tahun. Saat itu, saya terkesan akan film ini karena saya tidak pernah menyaksikan film yang isinya adalah hanya dua orang saling bercerita. Hal lain yang membuat saya menyukai film ini saat itu datang dari akting Ethan Hawke dan Julie Delpy.Untuk dialognya sendiri, saya pikir saya sudah mengerti permasalahan mereka berdua. Sekarang, saya menonton film ini untuk ketiga kalinya di saat umur saya 19 tahun dan ternyata “Before Sunset” semakin memukau saya. Saya semakin memahami gejolak perasaan dalam diri Jesse dan Celine, tapi kali ini saya tidak berani untuk mengatakan bahwa saya sudah memahami mereka sepenuhnya. Saya justru sangat penasaran bagaimana pandangan saya terhadap Jesse dan Celine beberapa tahun dari sekarang atau saat saya berumur 30 tahunan seperti karakter Jesse dan Celine dalam film ini jika Tuhan mengijinkannya.

Ethan Hawke dan Julie Delpy memegang peranan penting dalam menghadirkan dialog film ini yang seperti labirin menuju ke hati karakter mereka. Meeka sukses melakukannya dengan dua hal : akting dan ikut membuat skenario film ini. Mereka menumpahkan kejadian-kejadian dan pemikiran-pemikiran nyata dari diri mereka ke dalam karakter Jesse dan Celine ini sehingga membuatnya memiliki elemen realisme semakin nyata. Ethan Hawke sungguh mempesona saat adegan Celine memeluk Jesse. Kita bisa melihat wajah Jesse memerah dan dirinya menjadi nervous. Ia sangat terkejut dengan pelukan yang tiba-tiba dari Celine itu.

Richard Linklater juga menantang dirinya sendiri untuk bisa membuat film dengan konsep “real time” ini dimana waktu yang dilewatkan dalam cerita merupakan runtime dari film ini sendiri. Untuk bisa menghasilkan film ini, kesulitan datang dari segi teknis di mana lighting, make up, kostum, framing, blocking, dan editing serta dari segi akting itu sendiri. Shot yang diambil adalah shot-shot panjang dengan waktu sekitar 8-11 menit pe shot. Pengambilan shot-shot itu tentu susah, tapi kita melihat film ini berjalan dengan begitu mulus. Lihatlah adegan dalam mobil yang semuanya diambil dalam satu shot. Adegan tersebut banyak dibicarakan karena adanya gerakan tangan Celine yang ingin membelai kepala Jesse, tapi langsung ditarik kembali saat Jesse menengok ke arahnya. Adegan panjang yang tersebut diambil dalam satu take. Yap! Satu take saja. Ini juga menjadi bukti bahwa Ethan dan Julie sangat mengenal karakternya sampai mereka bisa berakting dengan sangat natural meski sadar bahwa dikelilingi dengan kru yang sibuk untuk bisa mensyuting adegan itu dengan mulus.

Hal lain yang banyak dibicarakan adalah saat Celine sedang menari, menyanyi, dan berbicara meniru penyanyi Nina Simone dan berkata,“Baby… you are gonna miss that plane.” Line itu terdengar puitis. Jawaban Jesse kepada Celine juga tidak kalah menarik dan menurut saya, adalah sebuah penentu dari perasaan yang ditimbulkan oleh ending film ini. Jesse berkata," I know" dan selanjutnya melakukan hal sesuatu yang baru saja saya lihat sekarang. Ia memainkan cincin pernikahannya.

Gestur itu mengubah pemikiran saya terhadap apa yang terjadi pada mereka saat credits berjalan. Dahulu saya berpikir bahwa Jesse pasti akan tetap tinggal di apartemen Celine karena pernikahannya sekarang menyedihkan (Ia tidak mencintai istrinya) dan Ia pun juga sudah lama menginginkan untuk bersama Celine. Tapi, bagaimana jika Ia pergi karena Ia teringat akan anaknya melalui permainan cincin pernikahannya itu dan karena Celine pun sudah memiliki pacar (meski Ia tidak begitu mencintai pacarnya)? Apakah Ia akan pergi dan memutuskan untuk tidak akan bersama dengan Celine? Ataukah Ia akan pergi untuk bercerai dan kembali bersama Celine? Atau mungkin apa pun pilihan saya untuk nasib mereka berdua selanjutnya hanya akan menunjukkan apakah saya seseorang yang romantis atau tidak.

(Diambil dari blog Labirin Film http://labirinfilm.blogspot.com)

Incrível! Já vi bastantes filmes e nunca um fez com que no momento em que acabou me apetecesse tanto vê-lo no instante seguinte. E foi isso mesmo que fiz, vi-o novamente. Gostei tanto ou mais que da primeira vez. Isso já seria dizer muito sobre o quanto gostei do filme, mas vou tentar escrever de seguida algumas das razões pelas quais fiquei apaixonado por esta obra.

Before Sunset é uma sequela de outra pérola – Before Sunrise. O primeiro filme data de 1995 e conta-nos a história de como um americano (Jesse – Ethan Hawke) e uma francesa (Céline – Julie Delpy) se conhecem num comboio e passam uma noite a passear e conversar por Viena. No fim de Sunrise eles separam-se ao nascer do sol e prometem encontrar-se seis meses depois. O filme deixa em aberto se isso acontece ou não. Before Sunset é a resposta a isso.

Sunset passa-se dez anos depois destes acontecimentos. Começamos por descobrir que Jesse é agora um escritor de sucesso, por ter escrito um livro baseado na mágica noite com Céline. Jesse está em Paris para publicitar o livro e numa sessão para fãs Céline aparece. Eles começam a falar e descobrimos logo que o tal encontro que devia ter acontecido não aconteceu. Começam então a colocar a conversa em dia, inicialmente com algum constrangimento, mas passados alguns minutos ficam mais à vontade e começam a discutir todo o tipo de assuntos. O problema é que Jesse tem que apanhar o avião e não tem muito tempo. Com o desenrolar da conversa a empatia começa a tornar-se cada vez maior e eles começam a abrir-se um com o outro. Jesse é casado e tem um filho e Céline estã também numa relação. Apesar de inicialmente nenhum querer admitir que as suas relações são uma fachada, acabam por desabafar um com o outro e descobrem que em termos amorosos a vida lhes corre mal, muito porque têm aquela noite magnífica como termo de comparação.

Depois vem o fim, mais uma vez ambíguo, e um dos fins que mais gostei no cinema. Com pouco tempo para apanhar o avião, Jesse decide acompanhar Céline a casa. Pede-lhe para que ela lhe cante uma das suas músicas. Sobem até ao seu apartamento (esta subida está filmada de uma forma excelente e a química e a tensão sexual entre eles atinge aqui o máximo, deixando antever o que se ia passar). Já no apartamento, Céline canta uma música sobre uma noite com alguém, que escreveu claramente a pensar em Jesse. Depois, ouvem uma música de Nina Simone e Céline diz a Jesse, de forma bastante imperativa e íntima, que este vai perder o avião. E fade to black, o filme acaba.

Este fim tem tudo a ver com o resto do filme. É autêntico, sincero e minimalista. Apesar de nos dar a certeza que eles vão passar a noite juntos, o seu futuro a médio, longo prazo fica incerto. Depois fica ao critério de cada um o que se passará. Como Jesse disse na sessão para fãs existe dois tipos de interpretações, uma para os românticos, outra para os cínicos. Os cínicos pensarão que existem demasiados obstáculos ao amor das personagens, como o casamento e filho de Jesse, o namorado de Céline e o facto de eles só terem lidado um com o outro em curtos períodos de tempo. Os românticos acharão que estas duas pessoas estão destinadas a ficar um com o outro, e que este facto será mais forte que qualquer obstáculo. Estou mais inclinado a crer na segunda opção.

Richard Linklater fez neste filme um trabalho imaculado. Era extremamente complicado fazer uma sequela para um filme que parecia ter acabado da forma certa. Mas a verdade é que este filme completa (e supera) o filme anterior. Passaram-se dez anos e é interessante ver a forma como as personagens estão diferentes. Estão mais cínicas, mais maduras, mais seguras de si mas ao mesmo tempo mais desgastadas com a vida. Isso tudo é-nos mostrado quase como se estivéssemos a andar com Jesse e Céline, quase que nos sentimos voyeurs a seguir uma conversa que se vai tornando cada vez mais intima à medida que os sentimentos enterrados vão desabrochando e eles se vão apaixonado novamente.

A atenção dada por Linklater, e os próprios actores (bastante genuínos), aos pormenores é visível na forma como as personagens se dispõem, como é notório no nervoso miudinho que sentem por dentro por estarem a conversar, como por vezes partem em direcção um ao outro e depois param repentinamente, pela forma como olham um para outro e pelas próprias coisas que dizem nas conversas que vão tendo. Estes pormenores são constantes ao longo do filme e fazem com que as personagens sejam realmente verdadeiras, e com que nos identifiquemos com muitos aspectos do que são, fazem ou dizem.

Para acabar, confesso que, apesar de não ter nem um beijo e de os apaixonados serem sempre tão contidos em declarar o que sentem, este é um dos filmes mais românticos que já vi.

(Originally written January 2, 2007)

Before Sunset is, in many ways, the Casablanca of the 21st century. Both films portray two characters that fall in love in Paris, are separated, and run into each other many years later. Both films dig up memories both painful and beautiful for each of the characters involved. Ethan Hawke plays Jesse who has written a book about the romantic night he spent with a woman he met in France. He happens to meet this person, Celine, in Paris when he is signing books. The rest of the film features these two characters talking and finding out what has happened in each other’s lives in the nine years since the last time they saw each other. One would think that a movie of two people simply talking would be suffocating, but it is a moving film. The script is practically flawless, beautifully written yet realistic in every detail—the little sarcastic comments one makes with a former lover, the unexpected outpourings of honesty, and the reoccurring inside jokes. These are two characters who frequently laugh at each other’s comments not necessarily because the comments are funny but because the characters are obviously so lost in each other.

Perhaps the most beautiful detail in this film is when Jesse explains the frustrations of being married, and Celine reaches out to him to caress his head but moves her hand away without him ever noticing. This is a film about two characters who genuinely experienced romance with each other and have failed to achieve the same type of love in the nine years since they first met. The film is an affirmation of two characters who have wondered whether it was the naivety of youth that brought them together for the one night, but, older and wiser, they look back realizing they were genuinely in love. It’s about two characters attempting to reach out to each other without exactly knowing what to do.

The city of Paris is absolutely beautiful in the film, setting the tone and atmosphere. The film will focus in on these two characters conversing for an extended period of time and will cut to a beautifully-liberating shot of their surroundings. It’s not necessarily a romance as much as a deeply thoughtful movie about two characters who are trying to define what romance really is. It’s a film of brutal honesty; there are the moments where they begin to confront each other about the details, including an argument over whether or not they had sex the night they last met. It investigates the insecurities of the characters in way that gives them a sense of individuality. This film is essential for anyone who has ever had a relationship fade and wonder about what could have been.

I watched the first one by stumbling upon it on TV one night. I had just read an article about it and was curious to see what was so great about it. The first film is just a fascinating romp through juvenile romantic ideals and philosophy.
This on the other hand is a fine-tuned study on regret and age. A two hander that thrives off of the tension between characters that can’t say exactly what they want. They can’t find the words and the courage to say what needs to be said to bring closure to their circumstance. The 90 minute picture is a wonderfully paced real-time dramadey that feels more real then the first. The chemistry remains between Hawke and Delpy and Linklater has become a more adept and comfortable film-maker. It’s just a cinematic delight to return to time after time.