In 1995, Richard Linklater directed the young actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Before Sunrise, a film about an American guy and a French gal who meet on a train, walk around Vienna all night, and fall in love along the way. At turns romantic and frustrating (enjoyment of the film naturally rests with one’s comfort at watching two hyperwordy people talk and talk and talk), Sunrise was a solid effort from a still budding artist. Before Sunset is something more. Though it manages to almost completely mimic the structure of the first film — the same two characters walk around a warm European city and chat their heads off — everything about Sunset is more mature, more moving, more resonant. Much of that surely has to do with the fact that Linklater, Hawke and Delpy are all 10 years older. The trio, who also co-wrote the screenplay, infuse the film with a palpable sense of both hope and regret — perfect for a film about the sacrifices of middle-aged life.
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