Before Sunset
Directed by Richard LinklaterNine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Before Sunset Ratings & Reviews
- Ray HopkinOctober 8, 2025A very slow, but very well acted sequel with great naturalistic turns from both Hawke and Delpy. The whole film hinges on the believability of the attraction between Hawke and Delpy, and the chemistry between them both, otherwise this would be so boring, and they both deliver in spades.
- Kevin WardJuly 3, 2025I watched this the next morning after watching Before Sunrise. As I mentioned in that review, I wish I had let it settle a but before taking on the next two installments. When this film starts, I thought for sure that I was being set up for a dramatic final reveal as to who showed up at their original scheduled rendezvous and who didn’t. That notion is wiped away almost immediately though and instead with we follow Jesse and Céline processing their regret and pondering their own what if’s. How real are our memories of our past loves and lovers? What if their memories don’t line up with our own. Though I was at first disappointed in the way Before Sunrise somewhat undercuts the open-ended ending of the first film, I think it makes perfect sense in this exploration of romanticism vs pragmatism. Hawke and Delpy effortlessly reprise their roles; and again the uninterrupted long takes and naturalistic dialogue just completely invests you from start to finish. I’m not as big a fan of the ending here. While technically open ended again, I think Linklater is much more clear with his intentions on what happens next.
Before Sunset Trivia
Before Sunset was released on June 17, 2004.
Before Sunset was directed by Richard Linklater.
Before Sunset has a runtime of 80m.
Before Sunset was produced by Anne Walker-McBay, Richard Linklater.
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
The key characters in Before Sunset are Jesse (Ethan Hawke), Céline (Julie Delpy), Bookstore Manager (Vernon Dobtcheff).
Before Sunset is rated R.
Before Sunset is a Drama, Romance film.
Before Sunset has an audience rating of 9.1 out of 10.
Before Sunset had a budget of $2.7M.
Before Sunset has made $16M at the box office.