Before Sunrise
3.5/4
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Rated R for Some Strong Language
The key to any great romance is chemistry. Physical appearance, skill at sex scenes, or dialogue mean little unless the two lovebirds go together. We have to believe that the two characters could, and should, fall in love. Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" works because we love Jesse and Celine, and we want them to be together. Due to their circumstances, it's not possible, but we still wish it. It's a pleasure to spend an hour and a half with these two.
Celine (Delpy) is a young French woman on a train headed home from Budapest. Much to her annoyance, she is sitting next to a middle aged couple who are shouting at each other. She moves to the back of the car and sits across from Jesse (Hawke), a young American. They chat. It's all small talk; the kind of thing you'd say to the random person next to you when there are two assholes at each other's throats a few rows down. He invites her to have lunch with him in a go for broke sort of way. She agrees. It is there that they realize that they have a lot in common. The train gets to Vienna too soon for both their tastes. Jesse invites her to spend the night exploring the city with him. She agrees again. Soon their connection becomes much, much deeper.
There's really not a plot in this movie. That's okay, though. This film isn't about plot. It's about Jesse and Celine, and how they interact with each other. In essence, it's 90 minutes of them talking. However, unlike most romances and every movie starring Katherine Heigl, they actually talk. They talk about live, love, romance...stuff two intelligent people would talk about when they're getting to know each other on the first date. At least part of the reason, I think, that they're so open with each other is that they both know that this is going to be a one night thing, so there's no reason to worry about boring the other person or saying something stupid. And by the time that they realize a much deeper connection has been built, they know and are comfortable enough with each other to not care.
The acting by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is exceptional. In a perfect world, both of them would have gotten Oscar nominations. They're so good and so relaxed with each other that their performances seem effortless. It takes less than a second to forget that this is a scripted film, rather than a camera watching these two travel around the city. The dialogue has an improvised feel, despite being so literate and philosophical. That's how good these two are. Hawke makes Jesse into a slightly cynical Gen-Xer (almost to the point where I became a little irritated with him, and I'm sure that was intentional) while Delpy makes Celine into a much more positive and worldly woman.
Richard Linklater simply follows his characters. There are times when he chooses deliberate camera angles to enhance their unspoken feelings, but for the most part, he's simply filming them talking. This isn't a cinematographer's show, and there's no room for visual flourishes. The shots are simply a way for us to see the characters and how they interact.
In a not at all strange way, this film is very similar to Ruba Nadda's arthouse hit "Cairo Time." Both are dialogue heavy romances that rely on character and dialogue to involve the viewer. As good as "Cairo Time" was, and it is very good, "Before Sunset" is better. The conversations in this movie are built upon ideas, and the interaction in this film is rarely guarded so we get a more complete picture of both characters.
I feel lucky. People who fell in love with this film when it was released in 1995 had to wait 9 years to see Jesse and Celine again (except for a brief clip in Linklater's film "Waking Life, which was released in 2001). I bought "Before Sunrise" and it's sequel, "Before Sunset" in a combo pack for 8 bucks. I can't wait to see Jesse and Celine again. And after seeing this movie, neither will you.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Rated R for Some Strong Language
The key to any great romance is chemistry. Physical appearance, skill at sex scenes, or dialogue mean little unless the two lovebirds go together. We have to believe that the two characters could, and should, fall in love. Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" works because we love Jesse and Celine, and we want them to be together. Due to their circumstances, it's not possible, but we still wish it. It's a pleasure to spend an hour and a half with these two.
Celine (Delpy) is a young French woman on a train headed home from Budapest. Much to her annoyance, she is sitting next to a middle aged couple who are shouting at each other. She moves to the back of the car and sits across from Jesse (Hawke), a young American. They chat. It's all small talk; the kind of thing you'd say to the random person next to you when there are two assholes at each other's throats a few rows down. He invites her to have lunch with him in a go for broke sort of way. She agrees. It is there that they realize that they have a lot in common. The train gets to Vienna too soon for both their tastes. Jesse invites her to spend the night exploring the city with him. She agrees again. Soon their connection becomes much, much deeper.
There's really not a plot in this movie. That's okay, though. This film isn't about plot. It's about Jesse and Celine, and how they interact with each other. In essence, it's 90 minutes of them talking. However, unlike most romances and every movie starring Katherine Heigl, they actually talk. They talk about live, love, romance...stuff two intelligent people would talk about when they're getting to know each other on the first date. At least part of the reason, I think, that they're so open with each other is that they both know that this is going to be a one night thing, so there's no reason to worry about boring the other person or saying something stupid. And by the time that they realize a much deeper connection has been built, they know and are comfortable enough with each other to not care.
The acting by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is exceptional. In a perfect world, both of them would have gotten Oscar nominations. They're so good and so relaxed with each other that their performances seem effortless. It takes less than a second to forget that this is a scripted film, rather than a camera watching these two travel around the city. The dialogue has an improvised feel, despite being so literate and philosophical. That's how good these two are. Hawke makes Jesse into a slightly cynical Gen-Xer (almost to the point where I became a little irritated with him, and I'm sure that was intentional) while Delpy makes Celine into a much more positive and worldly woman.
Richard Linklater simply follows his characters. There are times when he chooses deliberate camera angles to enhance their unspoken feelings, but for the most part, he's simply filming them talking. This isn't a cinematographer's show, and there's no room for visual flourishes. The shots are simply a way for us to see the characters and how they interact.
In a not at all strange way, this film is very similar to Ruba Nadda's arthouse hit "Cairo Time." Both are dialogue heavy romances that rely on character and dialogue to involve the viewer. As good as "Cairo Time" was, and it is very good, "Before Sunset" is better. The conversations in this movie are built upon ideas, and the interaction in this film is rarely guarded so we get a more complete picture of both characters.
I feel lucky. People who fell in love with this film when it was released in 1995 had to wait 9 years to see Jesse and Celine again (except for a brief clip in Linklater's film "Waking Life, which was released in 2001). I bought "Before Sunrise" and it's sequel, "Before Sunset" in a combo pack for 8 bucks. I can't wait to see Jesse and Celine again. And after seeing this movie, neither will you.
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