IN Richard Linklater's wistful 1995 romance Before Sunrise, erudite French student Celine (Julie Delpy) and American dreamer Jesse (Ethan Hawke) met by chance on a train travelling from Budapest to Vienna.

The strangers savoured a magical 24 hours together, including a sexually charged night under the stars discussing the nature of love before succumbing to their physical desire. The next morning, Celine and Jesse tearfully went their separate ways, but not before a vow to meet up in Vienna six months later.

Before Sunset continues the romantic travails of these two characters, some nine years after that first unforgettable meeting of minds and bodies.

Jesse is now a best-selling author on the final leg of a European tour to promote his debut novel, a work of fiction plainly inspired by his Austrian brief encounter.

Midway through a reading at a Parisian bookstore, Jesse is both shocked and delighted to catch sight of Celine standing towards the back of the shop. She has hardly changed and following the reading, Jesse is keen to make amends for nine years apart.

However, time is painfully short: soon, Jesse must be at the airport to board a plane that will take him back to America and his loving wife and son. And so he suggests that Celine accompany him on a walk around the city, including a brief respite in a coffee shop and a riverboat tour.

Old feelings resurface and the two former lovers spend the next 80 precious minutes discussing what might have been... and still could be.

Hopeless romantic that I am, Before Sunrise sent me into swoons of giddy delight.

Before Sunset is even more emotionally rich and satisfying, anchored by two sensational performances from Hawke and Delpy. Both actors are so natural and spontaneous in front of the camera; any sense of artifice immediately melts away. You truly feel like you are eavesdropping on a conversation between two people who have not seen each other for years and are hungrily devouring each shared word.

Linklater captures the tete-a-tete in a mosaic of long, uninterrupted tracking shots, which meander through the back streets of Paris as everyday life embraces Jesse and Celine.

As the minutes ebb away, the tension gradually builds to a devastating and audacious final shot that will leave you gasping for breath.

See it at the Lighthouse