Harry,

just got back from a test screening of Richard Linklater's "If Not Now," the sequel to his exquisite romance, "Before Sunrise," which shares, along with his "Slacker," a permanent slot on my ever-expanding list of top ten all-time, can't live without 'em, favorite films (a disparate list of gems ranging from "Star Wars" to "Bicycle Thief" to "Lenny" to "Singin' in the Rain," which I mention only to give you an idea of where my cinematic tastes lie... basically, in greatness of every genre).

Be warned, some spoilers follow...

While the tentatively-titled "If Not Now" can't help but somewhat disappoint in comparison to the perfection of "Before," it's nonetheless a beautifully-realized, emotionally affecting, and absolutely worthy follow-up, one which I'm thrilled was made so we fans of the first film have a chance to revisit its compelling, believable, and fascinating characters, Jesse and Celine, 9 years after their initial one-night romance in Vienna.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy once again bring vibrancy, humanity, and passion to the characters, who re-unite in Paris when Jesse travels there for a signing of his first book. Like in "Before Sunrise" and "Slacker" (among others), Linklater demonstrates his unparalleled (okay, Rohmer does it well, too) ability to strip away all artifice and create poignant drama simply by putting the camera on his characters and letting us in on their interaction, with little or no intervention. His uncommon insight into relationships and romance, coupled with vaguely autobiographical contributions from Hawke and Delpy (e.g. Hawke's character comments on the emotional failure of his marriage), and the gradual renewal/reawakening/reacknowledgement of the characters' sublimated feelings for one another plays with all the effective tension, suspense, and promise of a masterful thriller; anyone who's ever been in love or lost in love and wondered if the other person still loves them can't help but be moved by this wonderful film.

I can't stress enough what a joy it is to watch these two characters -- now a little older, a little wiser, a little more world-weary -- rediscover each other, and how thoroughly enchanting they are together. How can you not fall in love with Julie Delpy in both "Before Sunrise" and "If Not Now?" Impossible. And were I inclined that way, Ethan Hawke's adorable too (he's never been better than when working with Linklater).

My only real let-down was the movie's conclusion, which felt somewhat abrupt and arbitrary, in comparison to the beautifully realized and bittersweet ending of "Before Sunrise," which perfectly capped Jesse and Celine's brief encounter in a manner just ambiguous enough to appeal to both cynics and optimists (which Jesse himself comments on in this movie, while discussing the end of his book, a fictional account of his Vienna romance with Celine), as the two parted company after promising to meet again in six months. Would they meet again? Or not? It worked brilliantly.

Here, however, after an entire movie of unfulfilled desires, spirited interaction, insightful conversations, and beautiful Parisian scenery, the film sort of peters out at the last instant, fading out with the admittedly pleasing implication that Jesse and Celine will indeed get together, but doing so somewhat abruptly and unexpectedly during a scene in Celine's apartment, which left me feeling emotionally unsatisfied. Nothing wrong with ambiguity and subtlety and certainly no need to explicitly get them together via a make-out session or something equally Hollywood, but somehow, when the lights came up, I didn't feel the sense of dramatic satisfaction and resolution I did with "Before Sunrise."

I don't want to play up my problem with the movie's ending too much, and I hope the studio doesn't impose damaging changes upon the film based on the screening feedback (the post-screening questionaires concentrated on the film's conclusion, suggesting some indecision, perhaps by the producers or execs, that the ending is problematic), and in fairness, my girlfriend, who also loved "Before Sunrise," dug the ending of "If Not Now." So maybe it's just me. And in fact, I didn't warm to and fully appreciate the ending of "Dazed and Confused" when I first saw that film, but eventually grew to love it. And my problem with the ending is ultimately small potatoes given what a treat this movie is, a paean to love, romance, and hope.

Hopefully, the audience and focus group's sensibilities were attuned to the movie, which is the polar opposite to the insipid sitcom-style romantic comedies Hollywood often turns out. It seemed odd to me that they would test this film, since its quiet, low-key, character-focused style might not appeal to audiences weaned on dreck like "Forces of Nature." Ideally, people are starved for Linklater's brand of gentle, carefully observed character study/romance and will appreciate the joys of two characters actually talking at length, free of the distractions of exploding cars and CG aliens. The test audience did seem to dig the movie.

I forgot to mention what might have been the highlight in a consistently wonderful film: Julie Delpy's guitar waltz, a song about a lost love which she sweetly sings near the movie's end, accompanying herself on guitar. Beautiful and haunting, the best song I've heard since Tara's "Under Your Spell" in the Buffy musical ep.

Anyway, just thought I'd write in to plug this movie, the best I've since since "Finding Nemo," and worth putting up with the annoyance of being scanned by security for metal and recording devices prior to entering the theater. IMHO, Richard Linklater and the geniuses at Pixar are the biggest and most consistently creative talents currently working in film.

Okay, have I drooled and supplicated myself enough at the altar of Linklater? Can't help it. Now if they'd just release "Slacker" on DVD.

If you use this, call me "Wooderson."