A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
29 Jun Before Sunrise (1995)
The Movie Not Married
I think the memory of this is better than the movie itself.
I recently saw the sequel. It was one of the most delicate and perfect things I know so far as that shell of romance which is outside of intimacy. That was because I think of the actors and the lines they contributed. It makes the timing natural. It doesn’t take geniuses for this because the two characters are acting and playing natural acting is easier than playing natural life.
But a huge part of what made that work was the memory of this. So I went back and watched it. Its nice, I suppose, but far, far worse than “Before Sunset.” It seems just like all the other Linklater movies: thin, effete, words with no edge. Corners with no walls.
Delpy is radiant, of course, having just been through the school of Kieslowski.
I think you’ll just have to sit through this, probing it, looking for something that sticks and not finding it. You’ll have to do this so that you can remember it sweetly. The memory matters, at least it did for me. I guess I was remembering the movie I wish it were, about the perfection never achieved.
Posted in 2007
Ted’s Evaluation — 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
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