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Before Sunset

Play trailer Poster for Before Sunset R 2004 1h 20m Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 182 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A sequel to Before Sunrise, this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine (Julie Delpy). After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
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Before Sunset

Before Sunset

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Critics Consensus

Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting May 23, 2025
5/5
...I was perfectly content to let Jesse and Celine live on forever in my imagination. The possibility of that affair to remember future meet-up was satisfying enough. Or so I thought. Go to Full Review
Christy Lemire Associated Press Aug 8, 2012
It's a lovely, beguiling little film a rare treat during this overheated season of blockbusters. It's also an unusual example of a follow-up that doesn't seem forced, but expands effortlessly on the original. Go to Full Review
Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Aug 8, 2012
The reunion has some lively moments, but a great deal of slow walking and fatuous talking about love, married life and sex. Go to Full Review
Gautam Anand The Cinemaholic Sep 13, 2026
5/5
Before Sunset is an understated masterpiece—a film that achieves extraordinary emotional depth without ever seeming to try too hard. Go to Full Review
Dave Giannini InSession Film Feb 20, 2024
There are any number of times where they could leave each other’s sights (again), but this time for good. But they don’t, and the audience is treated to love at first sight a second time. Go to Full Review
James Croot The Post NZ Nov 29, 2023
4.5/5
This would all be dreary and forgettable fluff, were it not for the charm and chemistry of the leads. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Some R @RT00331823 3 days ago Strays away from the run of the mill movie formula, while also being deeply touching. See more Ron J @RT47696882 6 days ago Before Sunset is a film about love, time, regret, and the lives we imagine when the road takes us somewhere else. Jesse and Céline meet again after years apart, and every word carries the weight of the time they lost. Their conversation feels intimate, funny, and full of longing, with each pause saying as much as the dialogue. There is no grand romance here, only two people trying to understand what happened between them and what might still be possible. Before Sunset understands that some love stories do not end when people part. They live in the years between meetings, in the questions we carry, and in the quiet hope that one day, we might find our way back to the person who still feels like home. See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 20, 2026 Before Sunset = a 4.5 star Movie! See more Katie D @novagirl11kd Sep 20, 2026 Annual Family Movie Night, Part 2! Watched this with my family a year after watching Before Sunrise, since we decided to space out the trilogy as a nod to the wait time between the real releases. I think most movies with just two people talking and very little actually happening would feel like a stage play with a camera pointed at it, and honestly would be pretty boring, but somehow this one makes it work. It stayed interesting the whole time, and it was actually funny too. The real-time, walk-and-talk feel made it seem like we were strolling around Paris right alongside them. My only complaint is that it felt short and ended too abruptly! I guess we'll just have to wait until next year for the next chapter… See more Jay W @RT52162311 Aug 4, 2026 It is a novelty to pick up the story of a one-day romance, nine years later following the same characters. But following the same characters on another one-day journey does come across as, more of the same. But, if you wanted more of the same, this certainly delivers. I just don't find that this retread finds the same magic as it did the first night. And the characters in this new position aren't as likable as when it was a spontaneous meet up. See more Karan K @RT49546680 Aug 3, 2026 A very good sequel, but clearly below Before Sunrise for me. Ethan Hawke and Delpy remain compelling, and it is impressive that two people walking and talking can stay entertaining from beginning to end. The dialogue is still great, with many cute and memorable moments, but it feels less relatable and less hard-hitting than the first film. My biggest issue is how heavily the conversations, especially Jesse’s, revolve around sex. The first movie built attraction through glances, pauses and subtle tension; here, the subtext often becomes the text, making parts of the reunion feel less natural. Its greatest achievement is making Jesse and Céline feel human: charming, vulnerable, selfish, frustrated and full of regret. The ending is memorable and leaves you to decide whether you are a romantic or a cynic, but its direction is foreshadowed early and lacks the emotional power of the first ending. A lot of foreplay without a conventional climax, but still smart, human and highly watchable. See more Read all reviews
Before Sunset

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Movie Info

Synopsis A sequel to Before Sunrise, this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine (Julie Delpy). After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Director
Richard Linklater
Producer
Anne Walker-McBay
Screenwriter
Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Kim Krizan
Distributor
Warner Independent
Production Co
Detour Filmproduction, Warner Independent Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating
R (Sexual References|Language)
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 10, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.8M
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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