Three films about conversation. We go through life trying to connect and understand. As Celine says to Jesse, “The answer must be in the attempt.”

My Dinner With Andre (1981) dir. Louis Malle
A conversation between old (and now estranged) friends provides insight into our broken dreams, struggles, fears, and hopes. The subtlety in which the conversation shifts focus from Andre to Wally is masterful, as the latter is encouraged to confront his values and beliefs with increasing bewilderment and incredulity.
Le Reyon vert (1986) dir. Eric Rohmer
Rohmer was a master of the conversation. His protagonist in this picture, Dolphine, fresh off a recent break-up, appears stuck in an endless one about her boredom with the summer holiday. Melancholy and withdrawn, she navigates her way through aimless sunny and hazy days, inevitably growing tired with every new interaction. Culminating in a magical moment that would be impossible to communicate with others, this is one of Rohmer’s best in a career full of gems.

Before Sunrise (1995) dir. Richard Linklater
Celine and Jesse’s first chapter in the greatest romance of cinema. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, nine years preceding the opportunity to write their characters themselves, already have such a strong grasp on what makes them tick and all their wonderful idiosyncrasies. Tracking their conversations between films is fascinating — one little moment I picked up on recently is that Celine is in the middle about believing in astrology in the first film, where as she is decidedly against it in the second — and one can only hope that Linklater let’s us continue to peek in once a decade to see where their discussion leads next.