Before Sunrise (1995)

Before Sunrise is the first of the ‘Before’ trilogy. It was directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply. I have a soft spot for romantic films, even though most of them are very cliche, so I was eager to watch it for some time. I watched the trilogy a few months ago, each with only a day or so in between. They left a real impact on me and inspired me to write more dialogue driven stories. The film follows only two characters, Jesse, a charismatic, young, American writer, travelling Europe after having a bad experience with an ex girlfriend. On his last day in Europe before catching a flight from Vienna back to the US, he meets Celine, a French woman on her way back to Paris after seeing her Grandmother in Budapest. They spark conversation on the train and decide to move to a quieter carriage. When they sit down, a waiter comes over and takes their order. I remember this being the first detail of the film I really loved. After only speaking for a couple of minutes, they are instantly, albeit unintentionally, on a date. They arrive in Vienna and Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train and spend the night walking around Vienna before his 9am flight. The film follows no structured plot apart from these two characters walking around Vienna, meeting some eccentric characters, sharing stories and their perspective on the world. They eventually come to the conclusion that they would more than likely never see one another again, therefore their finite time together leads them to revealing more about themselves than they ever would. Before this trilogy I had never witnessed a film so dialogue driven. I could listen to the audio independently and still be engrossed in these characters. However, the beautiful Vienna backdrop compliments the story so well. After watching it for a second time, you can really tell they spent so much time making sure that every line fleshes the character out more than the line before. Jesse has a psychological projection, where he acts cynical and contemptuous to the world around him at times when in reality he is a romantic. Throughout the film he expresses the plethora of reasons why he thinks love is bullshit, then he makes these grand gestures of love. For instance, when they share their first kiss, on a ferris wheel, with a sunset, looking over a beautifully lit Vienna. Celine is an intellectual, French student who prioritises righteousness before anything. These characters compliment each other so well, as they make for fly on the wall viewing but by no means is this a negative aspect of the film. The film follows these two characters asking the most existential of questions, as though they are trying to figure this life out whilst they are still with one another. I think every time I watch this film I will notice a detail which I adore. The way Jesse moves Celine’s hair out of the way so he can look at her face, the way Jesse looks at Celine, the way she knows and likes the way he looks at her and, of course, the entire listening booth scene. The film is narrow and focused on this beautiful immaturity of young love. A romantic cinema masterpiece and one of the closest films to  my heart.