Waking Life (2001)

A man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.

Written & Directed by:  Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Slacker)

Music by: Glover Gill

Cinematography:  Richard Linklater, Tommy Pallotta

Running Time:  101 mins
Watch Waking Life HERE

"They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life?"

This is a film for the dreamers, the thinkers, the lovers of life, the confused, the those who seem to sleepwalk through the hazy fog of everyday living.  It's for the people who like to smell the flowers as they walk, thinking about the concept of life, our existence, reality, even death. 

The first scene caught me off-guard, feeling and sensing the real people behind the hypnotic yet grotesque rotoscope animation. At first it might distract or feel weird seeing shakiness all over and big eyes seemingly pulsating in and outside the lines of their faces, but after the initial unsettling  cartoonish vibe, everything just becomes more surreal. It's art, and it's beautiful. 

Waking Life is a philosophical buffet for those whose minds are hungry. This movie connected to me in a deeper, more personal way than any other films probably because it spoke of ideas or philosophies that I couldn't put into words. I think about it, I believe it, I dream of those ideas, but I couldn't express it myself. This film did that for me. It's rare to find someone to talk to on a philosophical level, and Linklater managed to make another movie which made me feel like I was part of the conversation. I spent most parts of the movie smiling, just trying to absorb all the "conversations", and feeling attached to this film more & more. 

Richard Linklater's attention to details with his cameraworks and cinematography gives you a unique experience, but what makes his movies stand the test of time is his script. As taut as a newly-adjusted guitar string, his dialogues/script reverberates from your ear into your mind & into your soul, and it will be hard to shake it out of your system . It's as real as life, as tight as Superman's spandex.

Before Midnight (2013)

"We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna."

Directed by:  Richard Linklater

Screenplay by:  Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Starring:  Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Celine)

Running Time:  109 mins

"Still there. Still there. Still there. Gone."

In the world of cinema where sequels are bound to disappoint, I'm actually very happy to say that I finally found the perfect trilogy that not only have the sequels delivered, but also in my opinion, have surpassed its predecessors. I have so much respect for Linklater right now for achieving a rare feat for any director, that is to create sequels that are actually better than the original (which is really saying something since Before Sunrise is already a masterpiece by itself), and respect for Hawke and Delpy for maintaining that magical chemistry that they have had since the first film.

Before Sunset (2004)

Directed by: Richard Linklater  (also known for directing Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, School of Rock)

Starring: Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Celine)

Tagline: 

"What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?"

Plot: It’s nine years after Jesse and Celine first met; now, they encounter one another on the French leg of Jesse’s book tour. - IMDb

         - - - - - - - - 

Before Sunrise is a beautiful film with a perfect ending. But, Jesse looked like a creep. Cute and charming yes, but he gave off that creep vibe who just wanted a “French lay” (though of course that's not the case at all). Also, I got bored just a little bit, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at their conversations — Them talking , Me laughing and thinking I was exactly like that when i was younger, god! It’s just idk, either too cynical, or too idealistic/romantic…. just two young people talking about what they think is life and love and other things.

WHAT I WAS EXPECTING:

Pretty much the same formula as Before Sunrise. Plus we get to know what happened after their encounter.

WHAT I FELT WHILE WATCHING:

In Before Sunset, we see these two characters meet once again, nine years later. With wrinkles, dirtier mouth, and a much more cynical/realistic outlook in life. Maturity suits them. And i find myself not irritated by Jesse anymore. He’s more subdued, and thank god he lost the leather jacket :)

They’re more mature, and their actions/expressions/conversations are more realistic and natural. They are just fun to watch. I actually felt like I was in that scene stalking them and listening to them with rapt attention and loving every second of it. You see the growth of their characters, and while life and time has aged them you can still see the familiar charm in their eyes. They have real problems, real relationships; they’re jaded; they’re cynical…. and yet when they saw each other, something inside them reignited. You feel the intense longing, the real emotions they thought they already forgot about, that one great love they have preserved in that one night nine years ago.

An example of how perfect this film is is that scene where Jesse wanted to hear Celine sing and they were walking up the stairs and they just look/glance at each other and at that moment we feel the tension, the anticipation of what may or may not happen, the longing, the battle inside them whether they should act on their feelings and just forget about their real lives. That several seconds without a dialogue reverberated inside me. It’s real. It’s those little moments in real life that you actually remember. 

The whole film is nicely executed. It’s simple yet you can feel real emotions behind every expressions, every subtle glances, body language, words, everything. You are drawn to them, to what they’re feeling, to what they’re trying to say. The non-verbals here are what made this movie perfect. The first movie, it’s talk talk talk with a bit of action. In this film, everything is toned down, so their expressions and movements are magnified.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Director: Richard Linklater 

Starring: Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Celine)

Taglines:

"Can the greatest romance of your life last only one night?"

"… When love can come as a complete surprise"

* * *

Before Sunrise is one of the best movies I’ve watched with one of the best endings so far.  

Of course I couldn’t help but laugh when Jesse invited Celine to disembark the train and spend the day with him in Vienna.. she obliged… and they didnt even know each other’s names yet…. I laughed because my mind automatically fast-forwarded to modern movie plots, where cute guy picks up a girl and brings her to this unknown place and then tortures and butchers her slowly…. lots of blood, lots of maniacal laugh, lots of screaming…… and then I stop and forced myself to just be normal and enjoy the damn movie.

I didn’t particularly like Jesse. He annoyed me a bit at times, though i’m not sure if it’s because of my dark mood when i watched it or he’s just that freakin irritating. I mean, he’s like a young Johnny Depp emanating some sort of hidden “Rob Lowe/Charlie Sheen characters” douchery, fully equipped with a non-stop blabbering Dawson motor-mouth, with a ridiculous squeaky leather jacket. Yes, he’s cute and all that.But if i was Celine i would also say “let’s meet after 5 years — (when you’ve matured and amounted to something other than youthful cynicism and boyish eagerness and adolescent kissing techniques). Leather jacket, devil-may-care living, unsure of what to do with his life except philosophize on everything under the sun, realism with a liberal dose of cynicism and a pinch of romanticism….. Sounds like me without the jacket…  Maybe that’s why I didn’t like him that much -_-