Before Sunrise and Before Sunset

If you thought I was gonna blog about nature, nope you are mistaken. Before Sunrise and Before Sunset happen to be the names of two films that I immensely enjoyed watching in a long time. The film stars cutie pie Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delpy (Celina).

Jesse is an American, Celina is French and they meet on a train. Soon they strike up a conversation and they find they have a lot in common. Jesse begs Celina to get off with him in Vienna so they can spend more time together. Celina obliges and the story unfolds. Jesse is a mild flirt but Celine is a romantic disguising her true feelings as a cynic.

The movie is a drama—just an endless dialogue between Jesse and Celina. So the movie has the couple walking and talking about every topic under the sun. There is no physical intimacy even though both of them are drawn towards each other and both believe they will never see each other again. Even in the sequel when the hero desperately tries to find his one true love, which he let slip through his fingers once, and then finds her where he hopes to find her, there is no hugging or kissing or the clichéd “Oh if only you knew how much I love you/ missed you”. The movie is free of such artifices and corny dialogues. In fact the movie is so real that you can relate to the two characters. (If you already know a Jesse in your life, please let this Celina know ASAP).

It is the sheer simplicity of the film that makes it brilliant. There is a not a single dull moment in the film (even without a background score) even though at times the viewer desperately hopes that they will hold hands or they will kiss to show their love towards each other.

What I particularly loved is Celine’s character. She has strong opinions about everything (she even says everything pisses her off), and yet she is a humanitarian at heart and feels strongly against Americans for their war-wielding hobbies and pseudo-habits. She is also a hopeless romantic wanting a family of her own although she refuses to commit to any guy!

The plot of the movie was conceived by the director Richard Linklater, who shared a similar experience with a woman named Amy when they spent a whole night talking as they roamed the streets of Philadelphia.

Verdict: Must watch

Chunchi Falls

With November 1 being a holiday, and my sis throwing tantrums to go on a long drive, we decided to go to Chunchi Falls. With the weather being awesome, and also the roads for a change, we reached Muthaththi first without incident. With the recent monsoons, the river was brimming with water but because of the gloomy weather we decided only to wet our feet.















Muthaththi at its best!

Our next stop was Chunchi Falls. It really seemed like a very long drive despite the sign board saying it was just 8 kms. The roads were deserted and we had to pass one or two villages. Save that, there is no civilization to speak of.















Romantic place? Nay!

Chunchi Falls is a cliff and you better be prepared to trek a lot. It's quite a risky place in the monsoon, but fortunately or unfortunately when we arrived the sun was at its brightest, thus making the trek even harder.















A view of the miniature falls at the entrance

Despite the name and the monsoon, there was not much water in sight. And it's a damn risky place to dive. There have been many lives lost in the past at some spots, so you better watch that step!