Sunrise, Sunset, and everything in between..
I went to watch "Before Sunset" yesterday. It was almost epiphanic..this movie's a sequel to "Before Sunrise", which is a movie that holds a really special place in my life, for a host of reasons.
The first movie is about 14-15 hours in the life of two people who meet on a train in Europe, and spend an evening and night together in Vienna. Sunset picks off ten years later, at a book signing in Paris where they meet again. It occurs in real time - they have 85 minutes to catch up where they left off, discuss their lives, the universe and everything!
I loved each second of both movies..they represent beautifully that chemistry and instantaneous, almost karmic connection some of us might have been lucky enough to feel with certain people. They are by far the most conversational movies I have ever seen - there is no real plot or "action". You just live each moment with the two characters. The writers and the director also have that uncanny and really rare (especially in Hollywood) ability of the artist - they know where to stop. Both movies have ambivalent endings..you never truly know what happens next. At the end of the first movie, for instance, Jesse and Celine part at the train station promising to meet up after 6 months. Jesse, Ethan Hawke's character, has apparently written a book about that night, in the second movie. He tries to explain the end away as a test - "If you think they meet in 6 months, you must be a romantic. If you're sure they don't, you may be a cynic."
I feel so alone in that I might be the only crazy fan of these two gems. I know there are others who love the movies, but I feel like a jealous lover or a rockband groupie - I know them better than any other fan! I can write a book about what I know about these movies, and can relate parts of the first film verbatim. I can write another book speculating on why, exactly, this kind of obscure movie makes such an impression on me! Part of it is that it holds the right ingredients (in my mind), reality, naivete, wit, lot of intelligence and introspection, a little brazen soul-baring, cynicism with a pinch of hope, to create sheer magic!!
The first movie is about 14-15 hours in the life of two people who meet on a train in Europe, and spend an evening and night together in Vienna. Sunset picks off ten years later, at a book signing in Paris where they meet again. It occurs in real time - they have 85 minutes to catch up where they left off, discuss their lives, the universe and everything!
I loved each second of both movies..they represent beautifully that chemistry and instantaneous, almost karmic connection some of us might have been lucky enough to feel with certain people. They are by far the most conversational movies I have ever seen - there is no real plot or "action". You just live each moment with the two characters. The writers and the director also have that uncanny and really rare (especially in Hollywood) ability of the artist - they know where to stop. Both movies have ambivalent endings..you never truly know what happens next. At the end of the first movie, for instance, Jesse and Celine part at the train station promising to meet up after 6 months. Jesse, Ethan Hawke's character, has apparently written a book about that night, in the second movie. He tries to explain the end away as a test - "If you think they meet in 6 months, you must be a romantic. If you're sure they don't, you may be a cynic."
I feel so alone in that I might be the only crazy fan of these two gems. I know there are others who love the movies, but I feel like a jealous lover or a rockband groupie - I know them better than any other fan! I can write a book about what I know about these movies, and can relate parts of the first film verbatim. I can write another book speculating on why, exactly, this kind of obscure movie makes such an impression on me! Part of it is that it holds the right ingredients (in my mind), reality, naivete, wit, lot of intelligence and introspection, a little brazen soul-baring, cynicism with a pinch of hope, to create sheer magic!!
posted by RTD2 at 5:31 PM
4 Comments:
Tried looking up the movie in the library but could not find it. The notion seems very interesting. I especially enjoyed this "If you think they meet in 6 months, you must be a romantic. If you're sure they don't, you may be a cynic." :-)
Ya..litmus test, huh? I didn't want to believe it, but I turned out to be a cynic..still, a hopeful cynic is better than a cynical cynic right?! I'm not what Oscar Wilde would consider cynical at least: "A cynic is one who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing"
Anyways, Before Sunrise has to be in the library. Before Sunset is a new film..coming out on DVD in November I think.
Speaking of library, what happened to the Asimov book?
I am a hundred pages shy of finishing it. Some of them are simply brilliant, including 'Jokester'. Thanks for the introduction :-)
Well, Aarti, I hope to watch the movies someday - I had read about both movies a few months ago, and I really liked the premise of each one... unfortunately, the Libraries here are not as well-stocked as they claim to be. I am rather an obscure movie-watcher, but maybe not as successful as you are. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home