There aren’t many filmmakers as closely associated with the rise of the independent cinema movement asRichard Linklater. Linklater’s low-budget comediesSlackerandDazed and Confusedproved that financial constraints didn’t matter if there were memorable characters and dialogue. Linklater hit one of the creative peaks of his career with his 1995 romance filmBefore Sunrise, which chronicles the relationship between the American writer Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and the French girl Celine (Julie Delpy). While they were characters that Linklater would eventually revisit in the film’s official sequels,Hawke and Delpy reprised theirBefore Sunriseroles in the strange animated filmWaking Life.
Waking Lifewas Linklater’s first animated film, andutilized the unique process of “rotoscoping”live-action images onto a digitally created background. As a result, the film has a somewhat dreamlike logic that blurs the line between reality and imagination. It was a technique that Linklater would revisit later in his career with the science fiction thrillerA Scanner Darklyand the fantastical coming-of-age dramedyApollo 10 ½. However,Waking Lifewas an experimental project that allowed Linklater to continue the themes ofBefore Sunrise.
Waking Life
A man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.
‘Waking Life’ Features Cameos by ‘Before Sunrise’s Jesse and Celine
One of Linklater’s greatest hallmarks as a filmmaker is his rejection of traditional narrative throughlines. Instead of conforming to a standard story structure, Linklater often opts to spend a few days in the lives of his characters, examining the mundanity of their existence. This is part of the reason thatBefore Sunriseis celebrated asone of the greatest romantic dramas ever made. Linklater isolates the film to an extended conversation between Jesse and Celine, showing them steadily falling in love as they learn more about each other.Linklater reiterated the format ofBefore SunrisewithWaking Life, which also focused on a series of loosely connected conversations.
Waking Lifehas perhaps even less structure thanBefore Sunrise.Wiley Wigginsstars as an unnamed protagonist who wanders through his subconscious as he considers issues of existentialism, free will, and futility. Even if the film takes placeentirely within a dream, there are several cameos from both Linklater’s previous collaborators and non-actors, includingSteven SoderberghandAdam Goldberg. Celine and Jesse briefly appear as a happy couple discussing the nature of reality.Based on the mutual affection they show for each other,Waking Lifesuggests that they chose to spend their lives with one another after the ending ofBefore Sunrise.
The cameos inWaking Lifeallow Linklater to directly address the audienceand call attention to the themes of consciousness and objectivity. While it may be hard to relate to a character like the protagonist, who the viewer has not bridged a strong emotional connection with, seeing familiar faces like Jesse and Celine makes it easier to stomach the film’s more esoteric qualities. The dialogue also sparks thanks tothe excellent chemistry between Hawke and Delpy. Instead of feeling like a Socratic discussion, the scene feels like a genuine conversation between two lovers.
‘Waking Life’ Is a Thematic Parallel to ‘Before Sunrise’
The cameo isn’t entirely surprising, as Hawke has a history of popping up in Linklater films likeTape, The Newton Boys, Boyhood,andFast Food Nation,among others. However,Linklater included the cameos inWaking Lifeto address film history.He stated that he sawhis “own creations float back in with something to offer this movie,” as he felt that what Celine and Jesse were “saying is incredibly relevant toWaking Life.” However, Linklater didn’t necessarily intend forWaking Lifeto serve as a direct sequel toBefore Sunrise. He said that “you don’t have to know them to know what’s happening in the film,” and that he “wasn’t too precious about it.”
The connection is successful, asbothBefore SunriseandWaking Lifeemphasized conversation and debate.IfBefore Sunriseexplored the beauty of conversation between two people as they realize they’re in love,Waking Lifeexplored the interiority of thought by visualizing dreams and the subconscious. Both filmsaren’t harmed by their slow pacing, as they isolate an aspect of the human condition that the audience can relate to. It also added a touch of humor when the film risked being a little too artistic.
‘Waking Life’ Led to the ‘Before’ Trilogy
Although it was fun to see Hawke and Delpy reprise their roles,it’s unclear whereWaking Lifefits within the continuity of theBeforetrilogy.The film’s sequel,Before Sunset,takes place nine years afterward, where it’s revealed that Jesse and Celine have not seen each other since their initial meeting in France. This would suggest that the events ofWaking Lifeare simply an imagined memory, possibly by the protagonist who sawBefore Sunrise. Linklaterdoesn’t directly break the fourth wall, but he also didn’t show any signs that he was trying to build his cinematic universe.
Regardless of whether it was intended to be “real,”Waking Lifelaid the groundwork for the more mature version of Jesse and Celine that appear inBefore Sunset.Their conversations inBefore Sunriseare largely introductory, as they discuss simple philosophical topics to learn more about each other. However, the conversations that Jesse and Celine have inBefore Sunsetare more profound, as they begin truly assessing what it would look like to spend the rest of their lives with one another. 2013’sBefore Midnightmanaged to turn the series intoone of the greatest movie trilogies ofall time, butWaking Lifewas the first indication that Jesse and Celine were characters that were worth revisiting.
Waking Lifeis available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.
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