Out of nowhere out of my thoughts.
Let me sing you a waltz .
About this one night stand.
These are the opening lines of the song that Celine sings for Jesse in the climax and could also possibly sum up the movie for you. Like the Waltz, it walks at a leisurely pace, never hurrying, involves you with it, makes you sway to its rhythm and ends in 3/4 time, a little before you expect it to end.
After watching Before Sunrise, I wondered why should anyone think of a sequel to this movie ?Why shouldn't we just be allowed to have our own versions of the climax? The romantic in me did hope that Jesse and Celine met after 6 months and that hope gave me a lot to cheer about. There is a certain romance in letting some questions unanswered. But Mr Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (they co-wrote the screenplay this time) had other ideas. This movie drags us from the comfort zone of escapist romanticism and pushes into the more real world with harsh realities.
Jesse is in Paris for a reading of his novel which is based on the magical one night stand in Vienna. Celine meanwhile has read the book and has come to meet him . No, they did not meet after 6 months and they are meeting after 9 long years. This movie is not about infidelity either. The story moves with them deciding to spend around one and half hours together before Jesse leaves Paris. Like its prequel, this movie derives its love for the sound of realistic conversations between the two protagonists. If the prequel was a 1 1/2 hour movie about the 14 hours that they spent together, this is a 1 hour and 15 mins movie about the 1 hour and 15 mins that they spend together. This is real-time movie making.
I just wanted another try.
I just wanted another night .
Even if it doesn't seem quite right .
Unlike Before Sunrise, the two characters are more matured now and so does their topics of conversation. They are two older intelligent persons - a novelist and an environment activist. They are both committed to other persons but they know those realtionships aren't close to the passionate and perfect one night stand they shared 9 years ago. They have both moved forward in life but always with a regret that it is not them who are together. The worst possible thing that happens to you at this juncture is that you always feel the other person is happy and enjoying his/her life without you. They do not start confessing it right away but you can always sense it is around the corner when they probe each other if they are happy with their lives. They talk about politics, the environment, their work and avoiding the questions they (as well as we ) really want to know. The confessions come slowly and in discrete before both breaking it out in the cab.
The biggest achievement that this Oscar nominated screenplay achieves is the expression of the hidden feelings between the two characters without being explicit. You can sense the tension between them even if they are not letting it out in the conversations. You can feel Celine's helplessness when she wants to touch Jesse and comfort him but has to pull away. You can almost feel their frustration of being pulled away by fate again. Their love for each other- a blessing and a curse both at the same time. A blessing because they can probably live their whole life idolizing that one magical one night stand and a curse because they wont be able to spend their life together.
I have no bitterness, my sweet .
I'll never forget this one night thing.
Even tomorrow, another arms
My heart will stay yours until I die
Ah ! the climax. The unconventional though perfect climax that haunted me for 4 consecutive nights and made me do something that I thought was unthinkable lately (Doll would agree). The movie starts with answering the questions that Before Sunrise posed and by the end, it again leaves you with a lot of new questions unanswered. The movie is like a drink that doubles your thirst the moment you stop drinking and so you want to keep on drinking. It is a lesson on love but not preachy. I'd strongly recommend this movie to anyone who has seen/felt the highs alnd lows of love . They will identify with the characters and the people who have been fortunate enough to find their love as their partner will feel lucky. Once again- Kudos to the director, the two lead actors and the team for giving us such a movie which lives with us even when we are not watching it. But this time, I'd like to give a special mention about Julie Delpy's performance in the movie and especially in the climax. Watch out for her Nina Simone impersonation.
Let me sing you a waltz.
Out of nowhere out of my thoughts.
Let me sing you a waltz .
About this one night stand.
Forgive me but I can't get rid of this song from my mind lately. Here is Julie Delpy's rendition of Let me sing you a waltz. She is a great singer too!
P.S: Thanks to all those who have watched Before Sunrise after reading my review and sorry for breaking the suspense about Jesse and Celine if you haven't watched Before Sunset yet. But let me tell you there is more to this movie. Go watch it and I am sure you'd like to add more to this review. Looking forward to your responses.
