It's interesting that this wonderful film appears to have divided the handful of people who have chosen to comment on it. I suspect that those who found it boring and/or clichéd are the type of audience who are not prepared to open themselves to a film and allow it to reach them. Of COURSE we have been there before but where haven't we been before. There are a finite number of plots and an equally finite number of variations on a theme, which means, I seem to be saying rather often lately, that it's all in the wrist. It's what the scenarist, director and subsequently the actors DO with even the most hackneyed story that counts. What, for instance, could be more predictable than the outcome of 'Before Sunrise' after the first ten minutes; everyone and his Uncle Max could have taken it from there and been right on the money but in spite of that 'Before Sunrise' was and remains one of the most charming Romantic films of all time as does its sequel, 'Before Sunset', which is equally predictable. I have reached the stage where Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi can no longer astonish me with the brilliance of her acting. No one can do heartache quite like this most luminous of actresses or show us the unrealistic hope slowly festering in the glare of indifference. Once again she is perfectly cast as the neglected housewife and so accomplished is she that we can actually pinpoint the moment when her dull, gray and dim interior life is suddenly illuminated by a faint flicker of light as she dares to contemplate romance. Although she receives more than adequate support she walks away with the movie effortlessly. 9/10
