Before Sunrise is a 1995 romantic drama starring Julie Delpy as Celine and Ethan Hawke as Jesse.
The two of them meet on a train from Budapest. Jesse is traveling to Vienna where he plans to catch a plane back home to the U.S., and Celine is traveling to Paris to return to the university after visiting her grandmother.
This entire movie takes place over a period of less than 24 hours in which these 2 characters get to know each other as they explore Vienna on the night before Jesse is to fly home. They have a few minor encounters with other people, but 95% of the movie is the 2 of them talking to each other as they walk around. They go to clubs and restaurants, but mostly they walk around outside - along the Danube, through the streets and parks.
Through the dialogue these characters share stories from their lives, but they also talk about their philosophies of life and relationships. As the night progresses, they share their attraction to each other by kissing. As their feelings grow, so does their physical activity, but they agree not to have sex. However, whether they do or not is left to the viewer's imagination.
I'm not really giving anything away here as far as "spoilers" go because there isn't really any action to give away. The point of the movie is the dialogue. The movie ends when Jesse walks Celine to her train and he goes on to the airport to fly home. As they say good-bye, they agree not to exchange contact information, but they do promise to meet again 6 months later at that spot.
This movie was first released at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995 and received rave reviews. The Director/Writer, Richard Linklater, later won an award for Best Director at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival as well.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. As was the case with Nebraska, this is largely a character study. I will say that the dialogue seemed very real and natural for the 2 stars. I'm told (by Wikipedia) that there was a script written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, but I would not have been surprised to learn that the actors were given mere suggestions and improvised much of the dialogue. It felt very fresh and true to life. The actors also seemed to have a natural chemistry between them.
To me, the relationship that develops between these 2 characters captures the experience that people can have when they open themselves up to new experiences and are willing to take some risks. If they met at home and had a more traditional relationship that developed during a series of dates, they might get to the same place, but it would take months. Here they know they only have 1 night so they skip the small-talk and get to the meaty stuff right away.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where they pretend to have phone conversations with their best friends at home, about this experience, and they each take the roles of the friends. It is a very insightful conversation and shows how well they have gotten to know each other very quickly. It is also a somewhat safe way for them to share their feelings sort of indirectly.
There are 2 sequels to this movie. Before Sunset is set 9 years later, and then Before Midnight is set 18 years later. They are next on my Netflix Que, so you'll be hearing about these subsequently!
I hear thunder in the distance so that means it's about time to shut the computer down....
Thanks for reading!
:) Amy
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