Bakhtin’s dialogic in the movie Before Sunrise

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the construction of the dialogue in the movie Before Sunrise based on the concept of dialogic relationships proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin. Richard Linklater's cinematographic work is constructed almost exclusively through conversations, which makes the novel renowned in the eyes of specialized critics. Therefore, this study examines these dialogues following Bakhtin (1984) and relying upon definitions in Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics. First, we tend to clarify why this film is dialogic instead of monologic since there are self-governing voices that are not confined to a single authorial voice. Second, we scrutinize how these voices talk to each other and the viewer, evolving meaning out of that interaction. Finally, these dialogic relationships approach contributes to the very intimate dialogues for what the movie is known for, as well as the main characters' personalities and romantic epiphany.