7. Real Time - Before Sunset
For me, it's hard to pick one particular shot that truly defines Before Sunset as a game-changing work of cinema. This spellbinding sequel unfolds over real-time, with estranged lovers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) poring over 9 years of lost time inside of 90 minutes, and director Richard Linklater opts to film the pair in a series of long, intimate, unbroken takes, the longest running in at a whopping 11 minutes. Not only does this approach push its actors to the limit, it also allows them to deliver more emotionally honest performances; we feel like intruders overhearing a conversation we shouldn't be, and knowing that the pair don't have long to spend together, they have to make every word count before Jesse gets on that plane home (or as it turns out, doesn't).
How It Changed Cinema: These gorgeously shot sequences managed to imbue the tender, conversational narrative with unexpected urgency as it hurtled towards its soul-stirringly tense conclusion.