Review of Before Sunrise (1995) by Nathaniel S — 01 Jun 2013

I was a little late to the party, but I came across this film called Before Sunrise. To be honest I looked at a brief synopsis and I was reminded a bit of Brief Encounter. Two people meet on a train and they fall in love and all that jazz. This is not one of those films and I want to be clear on that. In fact, this was one of the best romance movies that I have seen since Midnight in Paris a year ago. In fact, I will take this a step farther and go out of character by saying that this film is one of the greatest romance movies that I have ever seen and for good reason: it is unconventional and it is without any doubt purely based on situations that are realistic.

I will say now, and this is not a spoiler, the two characters Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) meet on a train and they share one night together to understand and know who each other are. After that they will leave and then comes the unresolved question of whether they will see each other again. Right there it sets the mood that this is going to be a great movie that is full of romance that will soon reach the heights of cliche as unimaginable situations come their way and they experience something that no one in a million years could. Wrong.

The film begins with the two meeting on a train because Celine moves to a new booth after hearing a German couple arguing. Annoyed she moves and there she catches the eye of the shy looking but handsome Ethan. Ethan decides that this moment cannot pass and he strikes up a conversation by merely asking her what language were the two couples arguing were using. She replies and then they talk about a book that they are reading, which is really how a normal conversation would start. There was no extra suave moves it was just a normal man trying to catch the attention of a shy woman that he is attracted to. They go into their own table at a cafe and they talk for a long time about normal topics; where they live, what they are doing with their lives, what are their goals in life. Does this sound familiar? It should we have all done it.

The film gets better as he decides rashly to ask her to come walk the beautiful city of Vienna with him. She agrees knowing that this is a moment that cannot be wasted and she decides that this is a man whom she needs to get to know. They then spend the entire say and then the night talking.

That is the beauty of this film. It is all one big conversation with perhaps some of the most engaging and breathtaking art production. The movie uses the city of Vienna as a third character. All the wonders of the art and the atmosphere are essential in this film as the location provides the mood and drives the conversation of the characters. The characters are not in perfect union. There is uncertainty there and there are disagreements that they have, but that suits the film better. They are understanding each other and they are opening up in a way that they would never because there is that danger that this is their one night and after this it is over; a pretty compelling way to make sure that they lay it all on the line. Why not? High reward with a low risk. As the two talk they fall in love.

The conversations are blended well with serious moments when they talk about death and God. My favorite scene was the quietest when they are talking about God. She tells him that.

"I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something.".

That is the whole point of this film. There is no time and space between them. At this point they are the only ones that inhabit the world and time revolves around them. There is a moment when Ethan sighs and tells her that they entered "real time," when the sun is up and it is the morning of the departure. They film is a perfect journey. The journey about the distance closing between two people as they connect and realize that they are suited for each other merely through words and pure honesty. There was another moment when Ethan talks about his fear of the future as a husband wondering about the missed opportunities that would arise. She smartly tells him the story of the old man that just focused on his work and one day realized that he had no one and what was it all for?

That is a question for this film? What is life worth if you do not experience love? It is worth taking risks for if only for one night. It is clear that they could not miss this night and if they did then they might never really have known love in its purest form; a man and a woman just getting to know each other by talking and giving their life story and opinions.

The strength of this story lies with the tremendous script. Each bit of dialogue was meticulously crafted and the conversations are never boring, and that is essential. There is nothing going on in this film other than the words of the characters. There is no exciting camera movement and there is no exotic sex scene. It is all dependent on the words that flow between the characters. This could have easily been a stage play. The words are so good and the moments of reflections so powerful a good script was all that was needed.

Also the leads have some of the best chemistry that I have seen in a while. They are able to work off each other perfectly almost as if they had been doing it for years. It was almost effortless except at the beginning. They were a little awkward at the beginning which was perfect because we get to see that transition for being awkward to comfortable and open in a 24 or so hour frame. The performances are top of the line and the direction is as smooth as could be.

This film should be seen by everyone because it is more than just a romance film. It is almost like real life playing before our eyes and it really makes us aware of how we interact and how we in our real lives have had numerous moments like these. It makes me think of all the times that I have talked to people and when I have decided to not take the initiative. What if I had just said hello? What if I had taken a chance and go with someone of a night just to see? There are so many moments that we miss that could have been magical or life altering. All it takes is a hello and small conversation.