Oh Baby, You're Going to Miss Your Plane...

Before Sunset(dir. Richard Linklater)
The characters are much more likeable this time around due to their more realistic and less naive disposition. They still yearn for true romantic love, but they're more cynical and more experienced from simply living their lives since the last time they saw each other. It's refreshing to see that this film is purely focused on the couple's ongoing conversation and doesn't resort to colorful side characters to "spruce" up it's narrative. It's a better film than Before Sunrise, but I don't know if I would quite call it great. It's ending, while perfect in set-up, isn't all that emotionally satisfying due to a use of a fade to black instead of just cutting it off. Broken English, a film that "borrows" this film's last two lines, ended by simply cutting it off and it was pretty much perfect because of it. A fade to black just makes an end is too conclusive and doesn't create audience curiosity like a simple cut to black does. It's just that I'd imagine enjoying it more if it concluded better. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****