If I were to choose a single film this year that stands above all others I would, without hesitation, select Richard Linklater�s Before Sunset. No more a sequel to Before Sunrise than Stolen Kisses serves as a sequel to The 400 Blows; Before Sunset is a breathtaking achievement that can be analyzed independently from its predecessor.

As challenging as My Dinner with Andre, as romantically restrained as My Night at Maud�s and as brilliantly shot as Le Boucher, Before Sunset doesn�t merely borrow elements from these films, it stands beside them. That�s quite a compliment considering many contemporary films aren�t aware of a film history that extends beyond the American 1970s.

The most striking aspect of the film is its sense of ontological realism. Usually when a film maker attempts to document real time it comes off as a sort of gimmick (Time Code, Nick of Time). However, Linklater explores reality in a way that would make Bazin proud. In his essay on the Evolution of the Language of Cinema Bazin states that �the camera cannot see everything at once but it makes sure not to lose any part of what it chooses to see.� With Before Sunset I feel confident that every moment Jesse and Celine spend together the camera has thoroughly documented. We capture every second of their life in those 80 minutes, and while we never see any other aspect of Paris beyond their own subjectivity, we see every moment of their personal reality.

In a certain sense, Before Sunset represents Bazin�s neorealist notion of endlessness. The ending suggests the sort of continuation of the everyday demonstrated by such directors as Rossellini and De Sica. If its themes of lost love are a bit grander than most neorealist endeavors, that is excusable since its foundation rests upon something as mundane as a conversation between two everyday people.

In fact, by allowing both Delpy and Hawke to write their own dialogue, Linklater has reduced his Hollywood stars to the status of nonprofessional actors simply playing themselves. There is no heightened sense of characterization because these are the people they are, not the people they play.

Before Sunset�s greatest success, though, is the way it incorporates disparate topics into a cohesive narrative. With conversation, there isn�t usually a specific focus, so by having his film revolve around a conversation, Linklater allows his actors to discuss a wide range of issues from broad social topics such as the current political state of the world, to their own personal issues and relationships.

In effect, its tangential concerns surpass the brilliance of those most salient features in some of the most respected films of the year: its politics are more honest than Fahrenheit 9/11, its love story more fully realized than Eternal Sunshine, its ending far more effective than Sideways, and it dialogue more skillfully written than Kill Bill.

And yet, it�s also the most humble film of the year, never attempting to add any more to its image than what is present. Its reliance on subtlety and restraint may frustrate some viewers, but if given a chance I believe anyone can find something to latch onto in its self-contained universe.