Who Composed The Soundtrack For Before Sunrise 2 And Why?

Picking this up as a cinephile who always gets distracted by soundtracks, I can tell you that the film people often call 'Before Sunrise 2' is actually 'Before Sunset'—and it doesn't have a single, sweeping composer in the way a blockbuster would. What struck me the first time I watched it on a rainy weekend was how quiet the film feels musically: there’s almost no orchestral score trying to cue your emotions. Instead, Richard Linklater and the filmmakers leaned hard into diegetic music and small, intimate pieces—some of which were written and performed by the actors themselves, most notably Julie Delpy, who contributed original songs that blend into the film’s world rather than towering over it.

That choice wasn’t accidental. From what I’ve read and felt watching the trilogy, Linklater’s whole approach is conversational realism: the films exist to capture the chemistry and dialogue between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (and later, their lives and choices). A big, manipulative score would have shifted attention away from those fragile, human moments. So the practical “who composed it” answer becomes more of a “who shaped it”: the director’s vision, the actors’ musical contributions, and the sound editors who placed everyday music into cafés, streets, and apartments. If you dig into interviews, you’ll find Linklater and his collaborators talking about preserving the authenticity of each scene, which is why the soundtrack feels like background life rather than an emotional narrator.

If you want a concrete name to latch onto, note that Julie Delpy’s songwriting for the later films is a real creative fingerprint—she’s not just acting but adding musical texture. But the wider reason for the sparse soundtrack is aesthetic: the trilogy prioritizes conversation and naturalism, so the music’s job is to be a believable part of the world (a busker’s guitar, a radio song) rather than an invisible composer telling you how to feel. It’s a subtle approach that rewards rewatching; each time I stare longer at a scene, I notice how deliberately small the musical choices are, and it makes the dialogue feel even more honest.

I was lounging on the couch with a cup of tea when a friend asked me this, and I gave a short, fidgety explanation: the sequel commonly called 'Before Sunrise 2' is actually 'Before Sunset', and it doesn’t have a traditional single-composer soundtrack. I like to think of its music as atmospheric seasoning—scattered songs, ambient café noise, and a few tunes performed by Julie Delpy herself—rather than a formal score.

Why? Because the whole point of the movie is the conversation and the chemistry between the two leads. Big scoring would distract from that intimacy. Linklater’s direction purposely keeps music minimal and diegetic so the city and the dialogue feel lived-in. If you enjoy films where music sits inside the scene instead of dictating it, 'Before Sunset' is a neat study in restraint—plus, Delpy’s contributions give it a personal, homemade charm that feels honest rather than produced.