Review of Before Sunrise (1995) by Clem666 — 21 May 2021

More a 6.5/10 in fact. The story focuses on two young people who are tempted by the experience of knowing more about each other. The romance is nice and developed in an interesting way, without forcing any feelings nor overdoing it. Characters are endearing, with some few (but notable) highs and lows according to me and the ending (no spoil) remains intriguing even if really predictable. It definitely make me want to see the sequel.

However it is impossible to keep the count of the movies based on such a story. The introduction is just based on a too simple hook like 'I don't know you but already like you a lot, would you give me my chance?'. Obviously if she answers 'no' there is no movie. Obviously if the feelings don't manage to grow there is no sequel, no proper ending. Fortunately, the film seems to be aware of its shortcomings and takes the gamble of proposing an innovative visual approach. Throughout the film, we simply follow the two characters, there are very few other speakers. It's a shame that this interesting idea quickly became too repetitive to the point that I sometimes felt like I was suffocating by the forced solitude of these two people. In their own originality these scenes in which they are walking side by side become boring and overrepresented. In addition, I found it hard to empathize with Celine (Julie Delpy) because she often seemed calculating and inauthentic. When she tries to sound self-assured or when she tries to utter aphorisms, it very often falls apart in disjointed pieces. In his side Jesse (Ethan Hawk) totally is in his element and even during embarrassing moments. I found that his acting was particularly amazing.

The fact that the film constantly tries to be philosophical and profound while unfortunately ending up being more childish and ineffective than anything else made me lower the score. In conclusion, the lighting, the originality, the unpredictability of the dialogues and the overall acting clearly saved 'Before Sunrise' from being another traditional and boring love movie.