Before Sunset

When last we saw grungy American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and fair French maiden Celine (Julie Delpy), they were wistfully parting ways after a magical night in Vienna, vowing to rendezvous in six months. Nine years later in Before Sunset, we learn that the subsequent meeting never materialized, and the unfulfilled promise of their chance encounter still haunts them both. In Richard Linklater’s sequel to 1995’s Before Sunrise, Jesse and Celine pick up right where they left off: talking. This time, their conversations are tinged with the regret and frustrations of adulthood, and their weathered worldliness is less compelling than their charming naîveté of the first film. Are they soul mates, or merely two unhappy people trying to recapture the spark of lost love? Maybe both, but Delpy’s sweet serenade manages to touch your heart either way. Disappointing EXTRAS — only a token behind-the-scenes featurette — will be forgiven if a Sunrise/Sunset double-feature special edition is on the horizon…