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Before Sunset has a tagline that poses the question, “What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?” This is something I’m sure your other half is thinking about at times, while the rest of us think about trying to actually get one in the first place.

Jesse (Hawke) is in Paris at a bookstore promoting his novel, which is largely inspired by the time he spent with Celine (Delpy) nine years ago in Vienna. During a Q&A session, Jesse spots Celine in the store, who later informs him that she’s read his book. As they leave the store to catch up, Jesse is reminded that he has a plane to catch in a few hours. Just like before, they only have a limited amount of time together before they must part. So Jesse comes out with the usual line, “Do you wanna, maybe, get a cup of coffee?”

Before Sunrise didn’t really need a sequel. It could so easily have ruined what many love about the original. The idea for this follow up wasn’t for financial gain. Hawke said, "We obviously did it because we wanted to." The resulting film is just as good.

The first film left audiences hanging about whether or not the two lovers will ever meet again. This is cleverly discussed during Jesse’s opening Q&A as someone asks whether they get back together. We know now that they did not meet six months after their first encounter, and the film answers why. It also answers what was never fully confirmed the first time around; whether they did, or didn’t, during their night together.

We find that Jesse and Celine are doing okay, but as they’ve gotten older, feelings of hope and promise have become stagnant. Jesse is in a loveless marriage, and remains so because of the love for his son. Celine is in a relationship with a photographer who is always abroad. Together again, it’s clear that they’ve obviously got strong feelings for each other, making it one of those few instances where you’re rooting for the characters to cheat on their current partners, because it’s so uncomfortably right.

The movie is essentially all talk, with the chit-chat shifting towards the things we think about but never say out loud, for fear of upsetting someone, looking like a fool, or just not having the right person to even say these things to. It works largely because of Hawke and Delpy sharing a writing credit, believed to be incorporating some of their own personal issues. A lot has been said about the resemblance Hawke has with his character, since he was going through a divorce with his then wife Uma Thurman at the time the film was released. Deply also wrote songs for the film, one of which she performs in the film.

Their dialogue together feels less scripted and more spontaneous compared to Sunrise, even with small moments. Jesse says, “Not good?” when talking to Celine about a job she was doing; she responds with, “Yeah, no.” It’s also funnier, with Celine joking about herself sucking cock (!) and also remarking on how Jesse’s is, “about to fall off.” It’s a screenplay that got awards kudos, with an Oscar nomination, though they lost out to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for Sideways.

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