re:mote voices

Title: Before Sunset
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater

Before Sunset is the latest film by writer/director Richard Linklater, a man who has been responsible for some really memorable indie film to come from America. Though it is perhaps ironic that more people will have seen his recent mainstream outing School Of Rock than say Before Sunrise, to which this film is a sequel.

Nine years previously a young American man and French woman met in Venice, during their meeting they formed a serious bond. At the end of their night together, caught up in the romance of the situation they agreed to meet again 6 months later. However things didn't go to plan, and having exchanged no contact details, time has passed with them unable to meet up again.

The nine years have passed, and the American man has written a novel based on that one night in Venice all those years ago. Doing a book tour of Europe, he comes to his final date, which is in Paris. Just as the talk is rapping up he spots the French girl from all those years ago. The result is, in some ways, a reflection of that previous meeting - the two wander round the city, going over that night, why the 6 month meeting didn't go to plan, and how much that night has affected who they have become. Again their time is limited, the American has a plane to catch, putting an extra pressure on events.

Those familiar with Linklater's work, films like Slackers, Tape, Before Sunrise or Waking Life will probably not be surprised to find that Before Sunset is a wordy affair. Almost from start to finish a constant stream of conversation, which tends to be how Linklater works, going for heady undertones, though certainly to a lesser degree than something like Waking Life - which ironically includes a section with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy who reprise their roles from Before Sunrise in Before Sunset.

Linklater's next project looks to be A Scanner Darkly, the latest adaptation of one of Philip K. Dick's novels. A Scanner Darkly being one of Dick's more convoluted novels the selection of Linklater is an interesting choice, particularly when how he handles characters and dialogue in a film like Before Sunset will serve him well in this case.