before sunset

now, i know i saw the original (prequel?) to this film when it came out ten years ago.  i can't say that i remember liking it all that much — i'm still only able to recall one very annoying conversation about reincarnation and the scene at the end where jesse is crying on the train, which, to my mind, seemed rather forced.  watching this installment made me realize that i hadn't really cared whether or not the two had had sex that first night in vienna and that i would have been perfectly happy never having seen or heard of these characters ever again.  bearing all this in mind, i have to say that, much to my surprise, i really enjoyed before sunset. 

for one thing, the movie, unlike its predecessor, does not try to cram or condense an entire day into the span of a ninety minute movie.  everything happens in real time:  the audience does not miss out on any of the conversation, nor are they left wondering what may or may not be happening off-screen, until the very end.  this time around, the dialogue actually kept my attention, since these two characters seem so much more world-weary now that they're older, and i could relate to a lot of what they discuss (especially considering that my own thirtieth birthday is only a week away). 

still, despite all the interesting bits of conversation that pass between these characters, my favorite moment in the movie was the extended stretch of silence the two share as they walk up three flights of stairs.  julie delpy's facial expressions and gestures in this scene tell me so much more about her character in thirty seconds than the hour or so of babbling leading up to it.  the movie ends shorly thereafter, and rather abruptly.

as the lights came up, while i sat there slurping the last few drops from my extra-large soda and brushing the stray popcorn kernals from the front of my shirt, i couldn't help but wonder:  why was joe shaking his head like that?

regrettably, the inherent danger in seeing this kind of movie, especially with a significant other is the nearly unavoidable temptation to compare the amazing chemistry of the lead couple to one's own relationship (or lack thereof).  this futile exercise is generally followed by a host of emotions — namely denial, anger, resentment, numbing, bargaining and despair.

joe's heavy sighs eventually ceased sometime after dinner; and when he finally took my hand, looked me in the eyes and shrugged, i knew that we were gonna be okay.

Posted by jason at July 19, 2004 11:00 PM