If I ever watch a traditional "chick flick", it's because I'm watching with a lady friend and defer to her choice for the night's entertainment. I really don't mind because I love movies, and every once in a while I'm happy to sacrifice my own preferences in order to allow the lady friend to watch something she'll find fun. Well, one film where this never applied was Before Sunrise. It was instantly one of my favorite films of all-time and also one of the greatest vicarious experiences I've ever had with cinema. The writing, acting, casting, and setting all came together in a perfect storm and captivated me from start to finish. Whenever I see it come on cable and happen to catch all or part of it, I"m overwhelmed with an authentic sense of nostalgia that just captivates and trudges up emotions I felt all the way back with my first viewing.
When I saw Before Sunset, it was amazing to me how that same authenticity existed, but this time instead of the excitement of new love and the adventure of traveling through Europe and immersing yourself head first into the situation, it centered on the "what ifs" and the realities of what had become their lives since their first encounter several years prior. I was very impressed with how easily I could relate to the predicament, almost as if I literally been part of their relationship. It just felt real...and I soaked up every word, every expression, ever non-verbal queue...it was great.
Well, once again, they're able to pull it off and I'm instantly transported right back into the lives of these two people, again feeling as if this is something I've been a part of all these years. The emotions are once again different, but just as real and visceral as ever....and once again they are perfectly authentic given the state of their relationship and the situation they find themselves in. It's just uncanny how these three films have pulled this off...each film being almost exclusively dialogue-driven. As many movies as I've seen, I can easily place this trilogy into a category all their own, and the more I think about it the more incredible it is to me.
Each one is basically a 90 minute stretch of these characters' lives....but they're so well-crafted and it's so easy to immerse into this story that it doesn't feel like three 90 minute segments. Somehow you feel as if it's been an ongoing narrative covering the past 18 years, and the emotions you experience in this film are perfectly natural progressions from both prior films. It feels like life, and I don't know how they pulled this off. It feels as if I know these two people...sometimes I like them, other times I'm aggravated by them, but above all else I feel as if I understand them. I find myself caring about them as individuals and their concerns are my concerns.
These are special movies to me....if this is the end, I'm really going to miss them.
I can't really give it a rating, cause I don't see them as just movies, as you can probably tell from what I said above (although I would understand if you just skipped over all that nonsense lol)
If you connected with the previous two films, you'll connect with this one.
The granddaughter is also a deaf-mute telepath - how's that for acting! :rolleyes:
