Before Sunrise (1995)
“Isn’t everything we do in life just a way to be loved a little bit more?” – Celine.
Before Sunrise (1995)
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Written by: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
You know that annoying thing when you’re on a train in Europe and you fall in love with a stranger in one night? Yeah…me neither. But Jesse and Celine do.
This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest romance films ever made. I absolutely adored this.
With only two characters, an incredibly simple premise (two 20-somethings agree to hang out in Vienna for one night before Jesse’s plane leaves at 9am the following morning), and some of the best dialogue ever written, the film sucks you into a flourishing romance and highlights the best parts of human interaction.
I often mention how important ‘natural dialogue’ is for dramatic movies – as soon as a conversation starts sounding too scripted or clean, it loses all believability. Well, Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply deliver such casual extended dialogue here (with some takes upwards of 5 minutes long) that it genuinely feels like the actors just rocked up to set and improvised the entire movie.
Dripping with themes like self-fulfillment and self-discovery, the film harnesses Delpy and Hawke’s irrepressible chemistry to create a romantic atmosphere like no other.
P.S. Richard Linklater made Dazed and Confused followed by this? Dayummmmmm boy.
Rating: 9.5/10