a review of 爱在日落黄昏时

1st Annual Criterion Challenge Week 24: The 2000s Went in not really knowing what to expect, but came away completely charmed and intrigued to see where it goes in the concluding film. The chemistry between Hawke and Delpy is as good as it was in the previous film, and I like the way that this movie complicates their romance by literally putting nine years between their previous meeting, and they've both had a whole life in between. I like how Linklater is really dancing on a fine line with Hawke's character where I'm still not sure if he's a good guy who's maybe a little self-absorbed or if he's maybe kind of a scumbag. We only really know anything about his relationship with his wife from how he tells it here, so I'm torn between seeing this as a second meet-cute or as the beginning of the end of their relationship, and the ending really cements this feeling of happy-sad between the two of them.