Before Sunrise

A refreshingly honest romance

06 December 2008

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meets Celine (Julie Delpy) on a train on his way to Vienna, from where he is due to fly back home. However, they instantly make a connection, and he persuades her to wait with him in Vienna until he has to catch his flight. The film follows them as they meander the streets, talking, walking, drinking. Linklater manages to capture – as he always does – the way people really talk to each other, the way they interact, partly due to the almost ad-libbed dialogue between Jesse and Celine, and partly due to the way he simply lets the camera follow them around, never forcing the situation. Cynics may dismiss this is simply a romantic comedy, but it has a believable quality that so many trite Hollywood offerings do not even come close to. Linklater caught up with the couple ten years later in the sequel, Before Sunset, which is also recommended.

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