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Thursday, October 29, 2009

"Dissolving into Molecules"




           I found this while looking around Youtube on my off-day. Richard Linklater's Before Sunset is one my favorite movies. This scene is close to the end of the movie, where the protagonists, Celine and Jesse confront each other and finally get honest.
           In the first film, they spent one night together walking the streets of Vienna and they fell in love, and promised to meet at the same spot 6 months later. However, something happened, and they didn't get to meet as planned. Before Sunset is set 9 years after the first movie, when Celine and Jesse are older. He had written a book and was on a world tour. While he was in Paris, she came by, because she found out that he was speaking in her favorite bookshop. Serendipity. And then this movie is a pick-up from where they left off. The audience is also left hanging in this ending, because it doesn't finish quite right away, there is no happily ever after, everything is just implied...(assumed?:-)).


           If i thought it true before, I still feel the same way now. I could probably just imagine myself doing the same rant she did in this scene...(and I can talk as fast too, but sans French accent, of course.:-)) And yes, I agree, "the concept that we can only be complete with one person is evil." But, having that one, The One person would of course, make all the difference.
           I'm not jaded, no, and what she says may not necessarily reflect my feelings for just one person, nor do they talk about a single incident in my life, but...since I can be a very hopeless romantic most times, I'm drawn to characters who shine despite their vulnerability.
           (Like I keep saying, I'm easy to please.)

          Sometimes life puts us in situations where we get to experience something real, or close...we may want it to go on and on and never ever end, but if it isn't the right time, it will fall apart, pushed and ragged, wasted before it was even beautiful.

           I first read about Before Sunrise (the prequel) from a Time magazine (I think) I spied on a friend's magazine rack...it was a Corliss and Ebert review of the "intriguing" little film about a French girl and a young American who met on a train and go around Vienna. They said that aside from the great dialogue, Julie Delpy was great in it because she was gorgeous and "swears in three languages."

           I saw the film finally some time after reading the review, and I was immediately taken, touched, and convinced. Maybe I don't want a "knight-in-shining-armor", nor a tragic, lovestruck hero who'll promise me the moon and stars and swallow poison for me...perhaps, I want something and someone much, much simpler. 

           My life's love story doesn't have to be made of dreams and stars and pomp, nor tragic music...I'm perfectly amenable with my life not being movie material. The less complications, the less tears, the less deceptions and lies, the better... Unlike the characters I like to read so much in books, I want my own love lifestory to be interesting, but delightfully safe and secure. 
            Don't get me wrong, I am not patterning my life after this  but I'll be honest, if I were to fall in love, it will be with the unassuming protagonist (mysterious or not) that I could talk to for hours who shared the same interests, be it around Viennese/Paris streets or anywhere else, for that matter. I'd be well and happy with that.

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In this scene, the were just about to say goodbye.


Celine: So, I want to try something.
Jesse: What?
Celine: [hugs him] I want to see if you stay together or if you dissolve into molecules.
Jesse: How'm I doing?
Celine: Still here.
Jesse: Good, I like being here.


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(Yes, I liked being there...)
    

4 comments:

  1. It's good that you know what you want and good job for knowing that your love story won't be just about stars, dreams, etc.

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  2. nice piece doc. reminds me of your xanga blog. :D

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  3. @ russ: I'm not too into Puccini playing in the background anymore, Russ, I think i'm more into the fun long hours of talk and laughter type of girl now. :-)

    @ marley: thanks C. well,what can I say,I guess the inspiration came from the same source as my xanga blog, Iloilo City.:-)

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  4. Wow! Did I wrote this while sleeping? My thoughts about the movie AND love are pretty much the same as yours. It's nice to see there's other people around following your line of thinking. Makes me feel less hopeless... I'd say even hopeful!

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