before bedtime

R dragged me to a screening of Richard Linklater's Before Sunset, the sequel to his Before Sunrise. She's been watching the first recently and just had to see this before it came out.

I didn't care much for the first one but used it as a reason to see R again. We hadn't gotten together in over six months and much had gone on since then. She had just called off her wedding to her longtime(9yrs) boyfriend a month ago just two weeks after the invitations went out and was trying to get used to her new single life.

We're not really close R and me, but have been in contact since we met in college. We never dated but did hook up a few times a couple of years ago. I think it was more about getting rid of the sexual tension than anything else. So, we meet up about twice a year and play catch up. This was the first meeting this year.

To our surprise, the screening was a premiere of sort and thus the cast and director were there to introduce the film. R couldn't help herself and was turned around in her seat staring at Ethan Hawke the entire time before they started the movie. She made no apologies about it.

We ended up at a middle eastern cafe for a post-film meal. R regularly hangs at Arabic cafes, smoking hookahs and watching men playing cards. She liked this particular one for its tomato soup but barely touched hers as a result of gorging herself on the free popcorn at the theatre.

We talked at length about the film. About the structure (80mins of nothing but two people talking); about the music (Julie Delphy sings in it), about how I thought it was one of the best films I've seen this year, but mostly about its themes. She said she saw herself in Ethan's character and his lifeless marriage. I thought the idea of spontaneous life changing moments was intriguing. I asked her if she thought some deep, intense relationships were better left as temporary moments. That maybe we should be content with it being short and concentrated and not try to prolong it. I said that just sounds like greed. R agreed but added that no relationship can maintain an intense level forever.

I told her that I guess that's a sign of a great film. That people can read into it differently and find something that resonates within themselves.

She agreed, exhaling a cloud of apple scented smoke.