Before Sunrise/Before Sunset

Richard Linklater is something of a phenomenon within American filmmaking. He is one of the one of the few truly independent minded filmmakers. In fact, two of his films (Tape and Waking Life) were shot on DV, I'm not even talking XL-1 here, but your ordinary Sony Handicam, and they are both outstanding movies. But before those, came Before Sunrise. A young American (Ethan Hawke) meets a French grad student (Julie Delpy) on the train from Budapest to Vienna (which I have taken) where they strike up a conversation. He is getting off, but she is supposed to continue on to Paris. He has this crazy idea, because he's enjoyed talking to her so much, she should get off with him and wander the streets of Vienna for the night and then he can go to the airport and she back to the train station. She agrees. The movie follows them through the streets of Vienna (many of which I recognized from my own travels). There is no dramatic conflict to speak of, it is the two of them talking about assorted topics. At the end they agree to meet 6 months from then at that train station without exchanging addresses or telephone numbers. That's where Before Sunset comes in. It is nearly 10 years later and Hawke's character is in Paris for a book tour -- he wrote a book about their one night together. She shows up. They haven't seen each other for the entire time, but their one night was unforgetable and has shaped their lives since. It turns out that Hawke showed up that 6 months later, but she was unable to because of her grandmother's funeral. And they hadn't exchanged information. As in the first film, it is spent with the two of them talking, gradually revealing important pieces of their lives and how they have grown up. Richard Linklater could be described as the American Eric Rohmer. His characters sit (or walk) around talking about frankly about life and the various issues worth discussing. It often comes across so naturally (both the dialogue and especially the performances) that you have to wonder how one could write such natural dialogue. You don't feel like you're watching a movie at all, but rather viewing a true slice of life. It has that kind of poetry to it.