A little 80-minute gem of walky-talky romance, this sequel to Before Sunrise takes place nine years after that film's single night of intellectual and spiritual magic between two backpacking Eurorail summer-break tourists (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) in Paris. As they fleetingly promised in 1995, these sharp-witted, contemplative, and captivating characters do meet again, picking up right where they left off--except with nearly a decade's worth of worldly wisdom, and memories of each other that continue to produce emotional ripples. Hawke, Delpy, and director Richard Linklater (who all collaborated on this story that plays out spontaneously and unaffectedly) have created a simple yet psychologically complex, real-time narrative of long single takes and fluid free-association, resulting in a modest masterpiece of modern romance that culminates in a moment of wondrous warmth so stirring and memorable that it wipes away any doubt about the decision to leave the finale of its predecessor open-ended. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 10-minute “On the Set” making-of featurette, and a trailer. Bottom line: a disappointingly small extras package for a fine sequel.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Mar. 7, 2017—Criterion, 3 discs, 290 min., R, DVD or Blu-ray: $99.95—Making their latest appearance on DVD and debuting on Blu-ray are 1995's Before Sunrise and 2004's Before Sunset, along with the previously released on DVD and Blu-ray Before Midnight from 2013. All feature great transfers and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release of Before Sunrise and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray releases of Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Extras on Before Sunrise include “The Space In Between” discussion of the trilogy with director Richard Linklater and stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke (44 min.), a “3x2” conversation with scholars Dave Johnson and Rob Stone on Linklater (40 min.), and behind-the-scenes footage (6 min.). Extras on Before Sunset include the documentary “Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny” (90 min.), behind-the-scenes footage (10 min.), and a “Linklater // On Cinema & Time” video essay by the filmmaker (9 min.). Extras on Before Midnight include audio commentary by Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke, a “Love Darkens and Deepens” radio episode of Fresh Air with host Terry Gross, Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke (40 min.), and an “After Before” featurette by co-producer/co-star Athina Rachel Tsangari (31 min.). Also included is a booklet with an essay on the trilogy by critic Dennis Lim. Bottom line: an excellent contemporary drama trilogy shines in this characteristically outstanding Criterion release.]
Before Sunset
Warner, 80 min., R, VHS: $47.99, DVD: $27.95, Nov. 9 Volume 19, Issue 6
Before Sunset
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