Richard Linklater is often attributed with making one of the most influential films in the mumblecore movement with his 1991 movie Slacker. However, 13 years later he made what is arguably the best mumblecore movie whilst constructing a sequel to his 1995 film Before Sunrise, Before Sunset. The movie takes place nine years after the movie Before Sunrise where the characters Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met and spent a night together in Vienna. They were planning on meeting a year later, but it didn't work out. Jesse is now a successful author and hes visiting Paris, where Celine is living. She goes to his book signing, where he has a few hours before his flight; he agrees to go for a walk with Celine. They walk around Paris discussing, in refreshing honesty, the nature of relationships, the course life sometimes takes and the pain of missed opportunities. Before Sunset captures the essence of what mumblecore is striving for, even if it uses professional actors and a director who has done big budget films. The film explores how the world and relationships work through natural dialogue. Dealing with issues of that nature and just having two actors walk around could have been an unmitigated disaster; the risk paid off however, and what we have is perhaps the best mumblecore film of all. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
