MOG

Before Sunset was just on (again). Sometimes there's an unexpected moment in a non-musical movie when a song just seems to appear, like Julie Delpy's "Waltz for a Night." (I hadn't known that she was also a singer; did you?) In a quiet little scene in a quiet little film, this quirky chanteuse picks up a guitar and casts a little spell. The first time I saw it, this just knocked me out--I immediately found "Waltz for a Night" online and then bought other Delpy recordings. It can't be unintentional that the scene reminds you a little of Jeanne Moreau's "Le Tourbillon" in Jules and Jim: occasionally singing actresses with light, untrained voices telling a story that also tells the film's story, in a sweetly subtle way, totally captivating.