Mixed in with the ongoing dialogue about life, love and loss, Jesse and Celine begin to explore the ways in which their brief encounter has affected every single relationship they’ve had since. Jesse is married to a woman he once loved, but can’t devote himself to anymore, despite his undying adoration for his son. Celine has hopped back and forth between unsatisfying emotional tie-ups, men who mistreat, or simply don’t get, her. […]

Before Sunset is a flat-out masterpiece, and surely the most beautifully realized American love story in years. Linklater’s precision of style is so understated that often the wonder of the language belies the fact that the film is masterful from a formal standpoint. His shots are so expertly crafted the illusion of total immersion is near-unavoidable.

– Rick Curnutte, The Film Journal.