If you've never seen Richard Linklater's film, "Before Sunrise" you've missed a truly outstanding film experience. It came out in 1995, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and is exquisitely wonderful. David Edelstein of Slate movie reviews describes the experience as "embarrassingly emotionally intimate", and I think he's spot on. It is really one of the most intimate and immediate and emotionally intense films I've ever seen, and it is basically a long conversation. You need to see it, and soon.
In addition to all the reasons above that you need to see it, I'll add one more. Linklater has just released a sequel, taking you further in the story. And after seeing the first, you'll wish there was a sequel, and you, unlike me, get the opportunity to know that not only will there be one, but that it is coming out in theaters as we speak right from the moment you see it. I'm not alone in my insistence on this film, read Edelstein's "non-review review" on Slate of the sequel here.
I've enjoyed all the films that Linklater has done, from the artsy and bizaare but still fun "Waking Life" to the fun ensemble piece "Dazed and Confused", he's a really great writer and director. But there's something about Before Sunrise that is both transformative and reaffirming. It captures the essence of emotional attachment and intimacy in a way that feels like an assault, but makes you stronger in the long run. Find a way to see it, and soon.
Note: Those of you that I know who are near me, I own a copy and would be happy to loan it out. (But it better come back.)
Posted by ktismael at July 2, 2004 12:43 PM