"Before Sunset" is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater. He co-wrote the screenplay with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, based on a story by Linklater and Kim Krizan. It was the first film produced by Warner Independent Pictures. This movie is the sequel to "Before Sunrise" (1995) and the second film in the "Before" trilogy. It follows the characters Jesse (played by Hawke) and Céline (played by Delpy) as they meet again in Paris nine years after their first meeting.
Linklater, Krizan, Hawke, and Delpy started planning a sequel in the 1990s but could not get enough money to begin filming. Later, they wrote the film independently. Some parts of the screenplay were inspired by Hawke's divorce from Uma Thurman. In 2003, the writers combined parts of their individual scripts and scenes from the earlier movie "Before Sunrise" to create the final screenplay. The film was entirely shot in Paris and is considered to take place in real time. Delpy also wrote original music for the film's soundtrack.
"Before Sunset" had its first showing at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2004. It was released in theaters in the United States on July 2, 2004. The film earned $15 million worldwide and was praised by many critics for Linklater's direction, the performances of the main actors, and the screenplay. It received many awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It appeared on many lists of the best films of the year, with some calling it one of the best films of the decade. A third film in the trilogy, "Before Midnight," was released in 2013.
Plot
Nine years after meeting Céline in Vienna, Jesse wrote a bestselling novel called This Time, which is about their time together. During a book tour in Europe, he gave a talk about the book at Shakespeare and Company in Paris, where three journalists asked him questions. One believed the characters in the novel meet again, another believed they do not, and the third wanted them to meet but doubted it would happen. Céline arrived as Jesse was finishing his talk.
Jesse had to leave for the airport in one hour, so he and Céline spent the time walking around Paris. He was surprised to see her. Céline explained that she had lived in Paris for many years and often visited the bookstore where Jesse had spoken about the book. She saw a poster about the event and decided to come see him.
When discussing This Time, Céline admitted she had read the book twice and was impressed by the detailed description of their unforgettable night. Their conversation became personal, and they talked about work, politics, and regretted not meeting again in Vienna or exchanging contact information.
Céline said she did not return as promised because her grandmother had died, and she had to attend the funeral. Jesse claimed he had not returned either, but when Céline asked why, he admitted he had. Both agreed it had not been wise not to exchange contact details.
When talking about their night together, Céline first said they had not been physically intimate. Jesse was surprised and even remembered the brand of condoms they had used. Céline then asked if it had happened in the cemetery, but he said it had happened in the park. She suggested she might have blocked the memory because painful memories are hard for her to remember.
Céline theorized that her memory might have mixed up her feelings because her grandmother’s death had happened at the same time as their planned reunion. Seeing her grandmother’s lifeless body made her feel upset and had trouble recognizing her.
As they talked, both Jesse and Céline agreed that their views about the world had not changed over the years. She mentioned an old journal she had written in, and he referred to a scientific study.
They shared how their lives had changed in the nine years apart: Jesse is married and has a son named Hank, while Céline works for an environmental organization and is in a relationship with a photojournalist. Their old romantic feelings grew stronger as they walked around Paris and took a tourist barge down the Seine.
They both admitted that their one night together had deeply influenced how they saw love. Céline had difficulty maintaining relationships, and Jesse’s marriage was struggling. Jesse said his novel was inspired by the hope of seeing Céline again, and she said reading it brought back painful memories.
Through their stories, it became clear that neither had been close to anyone else before or after their time in Vienna. Jesse convinced his driver to drop Céline off at her apartment, even though she kept telling him not to miss his flight.
Jesse walked Céline to her door and persuaded her to play a waltz on her guitar, which she had written about their encounter in Vienna. He played Nina Simone’s song “Just in Time” on her stereo, and she danced while he watched. They both knew he would miss his flight.
Production
After the filming of Before Sunrise, Linklater, Krizan, Hawke, and Delpy talked about making a sequel. Linklater thought about making the movie in four places with a bigger budget. When he could not get money for this idea, he made the plan smaller. In a 2010 interview, Hawke said the group had worked on several possible scripts over the years. As time passed and they could not get funding, they used parts of these earlier scripts in their final version of Before Sunset.
Linklater described the process of finishing the film as:
Hawke said, "It's not like anyone was trying to convince us to make a second movie. We did it because we wanted to."
The movie was filmed entirely in Paris. It begins inside the Shakespeare and Company bookstore on the Left Bank. Other places include walking through the Marais district of the 4th arrondissement, Le Pure Café in the 11th arrondissement, the Promenade Plantée park in the 12th arrondissement, a boat ride from Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Henri IV, inside a taxi, and finally "Céline's apartment." In the movie, this apartment is said to be at 10 rue des Petites-Écuries, but it was actually filmed in Cour de l'Étoile d'Or off rue du Faubourg St-Antoine.
The movie was filmed in 15 days with a budget of about $2–2.7 million. The film is known for using the Steadicam to follow characters and for long continuous shots; the longest Steadicam shot lasts about 11 minutes. Because the summer was one of the hottest summers ever recorded, the cast and crew, along with city residents, faced very high temperatures, often over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
The film is notable for taking place in real time, meaning the time that passes in the story is the same as the movie's length. In Paris, where the weather changes quickly, this made it hard for the cinematographer, Lee Daniel, to match the sky's color and light between scenes. Most scenes were filmed in order because the screenplay was still being written. Producer Anne Walker-McBay had less time and money than she had for Before Sunrise, but she still finished the film on time and within budget. The sequel was released nine years after Before Sunrise, the same amount of time that passes in the story.
The film came out after Hawke separated from Uma Thurman; they filed for divorce in 2004 and finalized it in 2005. Some people compared Hawke's personal life to the character of Jesse in the film. It was also noted that both Hawke and Delpy included parts of their own lives in the screenplay. Delpy wrote two songs in the film, and a third by her was added to the closing credits and movie soundtrack.
Release
Before Sunset was first shown at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2004. It was released in a limited number of theaters in the United States on July 2, 2004.
During its first weekend, the film earned $219,425 in 20 theaters in the United States, which averages to $10,971 per theater. Over its entire time in theaters, the film earned $5.8 million in the United States and almost $16 million worldwide.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Before Sunset has a 94% approval rating based on 181 reviews, with an average score of 8.30 out of 10. The site’s critics said, “Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.” On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 39 reviews from mainstream publications, which means it received “universal acclaim.” The film appeared on 28 critics’ top 10 lists of the best films of 2004. It also ranked 27th on Metacritic’s list of The Best-Reviewed Movies of the Decade (2000–09).
Comparing this film to its predecessor, American film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “Before Sunrise was a remarkable celebration of the fascination of good dialogue. But Before Sunset is better, perhaps because the characters are older and wiser, perhaps because they have more to lose (or win), and perhaps because Hawke and Delpy wrote the dialogue themselves.” In her review for the Los Angeles Times, Manohla Dargis called the film “a deeper, truer work of art than the first,” and praised director Linklater for making a film that “keeps faith with American cinema at its finest.”
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone observed, “Hawke and Delpy find nuance, art, and eroticism in words, spoken and unspoken. The actors shine.” Philip French of The Observer wrote,
A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted that the script was “sometimes maddening,” but “also enthralling, precisely because of its casual disregard for the usual imperatives of screenwriting.” He elaborated,
In the United Kingdom, the film was ranked the 110th-greatest movie of all time by a 2008 Empire poll. In 2010, The Guardian critics placed Before Sunrise/Before Sunset at number 3 in their list of the best romantic films of all time, and called the ending of Before Sunset “one of the most tantalizing and ingenious endings in all cinema.” In June 2025, the film ranked number 49 on The New York Times’ list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century” and number 31 on the “Readers’ Choice” edition of the list. In July 2025, it ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.”
As noted by Metacritic, the film appeared on the following critics’ top 10 lists of 2004.
Before Sunset won Best Picture at the International Cinephile Society Awards and Best Film in the Village Voice Film Poll. Delpy won Best Actress at the Empire Awards, while Linklater won Best Director in the Village Voice Film Poll. The film was nominated for the Bodil Award for Best English Language Film, the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature, and the Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film. Its screenplay received nominations at the Academy Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and the Writers Guild of America Awards. At the Online Film Critics Society Awards, Before Sunset was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
In a 2016 BBC poll of 177 critics worldwide, Before Sunset was voted the 73rd best film since 2000. In 2019, The Guardian ranked the film 50th in its 100 best films of the 21st century list. In 2021, members of Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) voted its screenplay 39th in WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far).
Sequel
Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy talked about making a sequel to Before Sunset. Hawke said he wanted to continue showing how Jesse and Céline's relationship develops. He also said, "I'll be surprised if we never make another one."
In a video interview in November 2011, Hawke explained that he, Delpy, and Linklater had been discussing the idea for six months. They felt ready to return to the characters. There were nine years between the first two movies. If they made the next film in summer 2012, it would also be nine years since the last one. They thought this timing would be meaningful, so they planned to write the script that year.
In June 2012, Hawke confirmed that the sequel would be filmed in summer 2012. In September 2012, it was announced that the sequel, titled Before Midnight, had finished filming and would premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013. The film was released in May 2013 and was very well received. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Analysis and themes
The film tells its story mostly through conversations between the characters, Jesse and Céline. These talks explore big questions about life, such as choices, feeling sorry for past mistakes, and how happiness can be short-lived. Jesse and Céline openly talk about chances in life they missed. Some experts say their conversations show ideas similar to those of philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, especially about the challenge of balancing dreams with real-life duties. Their dialogue mixes everyday talk with deep thinking about life’s meaning. Experts note that the trilogy, especially Before Sunset, gently shows feelings of sadness, regret, and how time passes, encouraging viewers to think about these ideas themselves.
The story happens over about 80 minutes, the same amount of time that passes for the characters. This method helps make the story feel more real and immediate, as if the audience is living the events alongside the characters. Film critic Dennis Lim says the long, unbroken scenes and smooth, flowing conversations create the feeling that the dialogue is happening naturally, without being planned.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who also helped write the screenplay with director Richard Linklater, are praised for acting in a way that feels real and spontaneous. Their teamwork in creating the dialogue has influenced how performances can make stories feel like real life. Their acting style includes small movements, realistic interruptions, and emotional details that feel natural. Film critics and scholars often compare Linklater’s style to that of European filmmakers like Éric Rohmer, whose films also focus on natural conversations and everyday realism.