***
"so listen, here's the deal, this is what we should do, you should get off the train with me here in vienna and come check out the town."
"what?"
"it'll be fun... alright... think about this. jump ahead, ten, twenty years, and your married, and only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to be. you start to think about all those guys you met in your life and what might have happened if you picked up with them."
("c'mon... c'mon")
"let me get my bag"
[Before Sunrise. 1995]
***
i'm not gonna lie. before sunrise is one of my favorite movies of all time. ok.. did i just say that? i have this funny feeling my image is about to be demolished in 3... 2... 1. ok laugh. you done? ok laugh some more. you sure you're done laughing? ok.
yeah yeah i know the movie's cheesy and all, but hey, i love it. wait, did i just use the word "cheesy" and "love" in the same sentence? jesus christ! so i have a soft spot, so what!
well, the movie doesn't exactly have a feel-good, happy-ending, jerry-maguire-ish plot (i know a lot of people who went gaga over jerry maguire). a brief backgrounder for those who don't know:
before sunrise is a 1995 movie of richard linklater (slacker, dazed and confused, the school of rock). the film is about a french grad student named celine (Julie Delpy - a definite schwing babe during her prime! she's now 35 for chrissakes!) and an american boy named jesse (Ethan Hawke) who met on the budapest-vienna train. a chance encounter on the train incites intrigue, and jesse provocatively suggests that celine postpones her return to france and embarks instead on a spontaneous expedition to vienna. in the course of their 14-hour relationship, the two share in their love for the unrehearsed and their appreciation for the unexpected as they explore in a powerful meeting of hearts and minds. they parted before sunrise (hence, the title) without even exchanging numbers and addresses... why? because they thought it would be pathetic and sad to maintain a relationship through phone calls and letters that's why.
the movie had the feel of a real first date, something most of us can relate with. the script was straightforward and unpretentious, it blew me away. 9 years later, the sequel, before sunset, is out.
i thought the ending in before sunrise was perfect. a sad music plays as celine sits in the train headed to france and jesse sits in a bus headed the opposite direction to catch his plane back to america. yes the ending was sad. and it was open too. which got me thinking if the sequel was indeed planned (or implied) during the time they made the first part. if it was indeed planned, why only now? why 9 years after?
all in all, i think before sunset is a fitting closure to what happened to both the characters in the movie who met 9 years ago. closure, again, being a subject that we can all relate to because i think everyone's seeking certain levels of closure for all the issues and concerns they had in the past. on the other hand, i think hang ups or non-closures are one of life's essences. it's a motivational tool, a driving force that enables us to go on. if you need a jolt, sit down, and day dream of all the "what-ifs" and "what-could've-beens" in your life; you could even day dream about the "one-that-got-away." then quickly jump back to reality... i tell you, it can change your perspective in certain things.
anyway, going back to the movie, will i go see the sequel? of course.
i'm out.
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