Before Sunrise
Richard Linklater 1995 US (2nd time)
A young American and French student meet on a train in Budapest and decide to spend the night together, before she leaves for Paris.
Conversation piece relying on contrasting philosophies from its two characters to drive it along; the acting had to be brilliant, and it is, with a kind of awkward sensibility which develops into a confident intimacy as it goes on.

Before Sunset
Richard Linklater 2004 US (2nd time)
Jesse and Celine meet nine years after their first meeting.
The characters have developed into wiser, older adults, and the two actors embody them convincingly; but, as the script's self-reflection would have it, neither of them have really changed, and the narrative's swing into bittersweet nostalgia makes for an infuriatingly perfect final moment.

Lost In Translation
Sofia Coppola 2003 US/Japan (Nth time)
Two Americans in Japan, one an actor, the other a lonely wife over on her husband's business, meet up and enjoy each other's company.
Underplayed, affecting tale of two people stuck in marital problems and finding unconsumated comfort in each other; it is a refreshingly minimalistic approach fuelled by excellent performances.

Nil by Mouth
Gary Oldman 1997 UK/France (1st time)
Domestic violence, drugs, alcoholism and unemployment within a working-class London family.
That we're still watching this after two hours of vulgarity and outright seediness pays testament to the talent of Oldman and his cast; performances lift it above monotony, and the director, filming in hand-held close-ups with very few wide-shots, keeps us absorbed throughout. If we do not care for these characters, we are at least curious how their squalid lives will turn out.