Review of Before Sunrise (1995) by Ryan L — 21 Sep 2016

Before Sunrise is the independent romance film directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Ethan Hawke as Jesse and Julie Delpy as Celine. Being as I was born in the late 90's and did not get into movies until I was 13 or so, I was not aware of this movie until very recently. And I'm glad I did not watch it until now. This is a very unique, dialogue driven movie, that has no real story or plot, but is just a long string of conversations. And I am afraid that it I had seen this movie any earlier than I did, I would not have appreciated it. But since I saw it when I did, I do appreciate it. In fact I think it is a romantic masterpiece of a film.

Before Sunrise follows Jesse and Celine, two people in their early twenties, who meet on a train and decide to spend the rest of the day together in Vienna. Jesse has a flight back to America in the morning, and Celine has to catch a train to Paris the next day. With only one night together, these two people walk around Vienna and just talk and get to know each other. They discuss love, life, hopes, dreams, fears, time, sex, and everything in between those. And the greatest praise that I can give this film is that it is real. You as a viewer never doubt for a moment that these two people actually have a connection and are somehow infatuated with each other.

The realistic nature of this movie is based on three key things: Acting, writing, and directing, all of which are some of the best of all time. Hawke and Delpy have to carry this movie on their own, and they do it better than I had ever hoped. They seem so real and in tune with these characters that they disappear into their roles completely. They are both perfect. The writing by Linklater is painfully honest and so beautiful that it becomes so recognizable to conversations that you have had before. It is genius writing in every sense of the word. By far one of the most honest and beautiful scripts ever. And the directing is something to behold. I will not say anymore than this: Long Takes. They are great.

All in all, Before Sunrise is a romantic masterpiece in every sense of the world. I loved this movie, every second of it, and it is one of my favorite romance films.

10/10.