Parisian promenade

When “Before Sunrise” came out in 1995, it found modest success with young adults, for whom the conversation of the two lead characters may have echoed their own existential courtship rituals.

As Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) wandered the streets of Vienna there was, to paraphrase Lucinda Williams, something about what happened when they talked. When they agreed to meet again in Vienna one year later, fans were left to decide for themselves if the attraction was love.

With “Before Sunset,” director Rick Linklater and his co-screenwriter, Kim Krizan, answer that question. By 2004, Jesse has written his first novel. In Paris on his book tour, he has a few hours before his flight … when he spots Celine.

True to the spirit of their first encounter, they spend the rest of the afternoon walking the streets of Paris, talking about time, change, ambition, desire, religion, monogamy, memory and the betrayal of romantic ideals.

That “Before Sunset” is immersed in such heady stuff will not surprise Linklater’s fans. He keeps Jesse and Celine moving against the backdrop of Paris’ cafes, parks and riverfront. Intimate yet not intrusive, Linklater’s camera creates the sense of walking with the couple as they sort out whether they were destined to be together.

“Before Sunset” has an easy, unforced air about it, mostly because of what seems to be a real rapport between the two lead actors. And for a movie whose stakes don’t seem especially high, Linklater has crafted a legitimate whopper of an ending.