“Before Sunset” A miraculous movie that created and captured “eternity”

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2019.01.11Onodera lineage

What is a movie?

I want you to remember the conversation at the cafe in this work. Celine said, `` From 6 years old until I become an adult.'' Like the mother of the main character in ``'' (14), there are scenes where she laments how time seems to pass faster as she gets older. In response, Jesse says, ``I like getting older. I can cherish the moment more.'' Celine agrees.

There, Jesse talks about his past playing drums in a band. At that time, the band members were only talking about the future, releasing records and making their debut, but now the band has no shadow or shape, and everything has become a nostalgic memory. The present moment will soon become a thing of the past. And it will remain in your memories forever. Therefore, eternity exists even in this moment. In the photographs that hung in Celine's room, images of her and her grandmother continue to remain.

When Jesse watches her dance in Celine's room, he may be remembering that very early morning dance in Vienna nine years ago, before they broke up. Then, that experience quickly became a thing of the past, and the dance from nine years ago and the dance from one second ago can be placed in parallel in Jesse's life, as they are essentially the same thing. becomes. At that time, time will no longer be something that can be arranged neatly and in order for the person in question.

The running time of this film is approximately 76 minutes, or 4,560 seconds, excluding the credits. A typical movie is made with a series of 24 frames per second, so this film is made up of approximately 109,440 photos. For the audience, the movie experience is a phenomenon in which the photographs are separated into scenes and stored in the brain. And just like the flow of time that Jesse experienced, it becomes free from previous and subsequent constraints.

A feature of film is that it cuts out one recorded time and combines it with another. In other words, we are creating a false time. At first glance, this film appears to be in real time, but it is actually a fake piece of footage shot over many days. But is it fundamentally different from the "time" that has passed? And the fact that the time created by the film is a kind of ``deception'' is shown by the interruption of what is perhaps the happiest moment for the two in the film.

creating eternity

After this, Jesse may stay in the room or rush off to the airport. No matter what choice he makes, he will feel regret, and so will Celine. That's why, even though they haven't made their choice yet, this moment, when they both feel that they are looking for each other, should be the most beautiful time for both of them. By cutting off the film at that moment, director Linklater decided to preserve their magical time together.

Director Linklater later confessed in an interview that his previous film, ` `Before Sunrise,'' was based on his own experiences. And, like the reunion between Celine and Jesse in this film, the director was hoping that she would show up at the premiere. But she didn't come. It is only later that the director learns that the woman had actually already died in a traffic accident.

But as time passes, both the sadness and the happy times with her are part of the same eternity. Director Linklater succeeded in expressing in this film that such salvation exists in ``time'' through ``movies'', which are the art of time. Yes, ``Before Sunset'' is a movie that is extremely conscious of ``eternity''.

Text: Kei Onodera

A film critic who wanders around and writes for web media and magazines, aiming to become a movie hermit. We will convey the "deep" content of the movie in an easy-to-understand manner from various angles.

Twitter: @kmovie

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"Before Sunset"

[Initial specification] Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight Blu-ray Trilogy BOX (3-disc set) ¥3,990 yen + tax

warner bros home entertainment

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