We saw a sneak preview of Before Sunset last night and then rushed home to revisit its precursor--Before Sunrise--on video. I can sum up the appeal that Linklater's diptych holds for me in a few words, spoken by Julie Delpy's character in the first film, which both works live by:
You know, I believe if there's any kind of God, it wouldn't be in any of us. Not you, or me... but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something... I know, it's almost impossible to succeed, but... who cares, really? The answer must be in the attempt.
(you can read the whole script here, if you're in the mood--although I wouldn't recommend that; in general, it's not the matter of these conversations which is so compelling, but the manner in which they are conducted--and you've gotta watch the film to experience that!)
In keeping with my preference for revisiting the old, rather than scratching vainly at the scab of "absolute originality", I liked the second film even more than the first. Or perhaps I should say that the second has added lustre to the first. And a third, if made in the same spirit as these two, would undoubtedly have a similarly intensifying effect. This is, of course, why I love corporate comics so much--I truly do believe that, the more you think earnestly about anything you ever loved, the better it gets. These films stake out a philosophic/aesthetic position which is in direct opposition to the one that Charlie Kaufman puts into the mouth of "wise fool" Donald, in Adaptation:
I loved Sarah. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want. You are what you love, not what loves you.
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