Review of Before Sunrise (1995) by Mimi S — 14 Feb 2014

Before Sunrise is one of the best romantic films out there. It's so different from the typical contrived cliche Hollywood rubbish; Before Sunrise is smart, honest and real. I don't really like romantic films much, but this is one of the few good ones next to Titanic and Breakfast At Tiffany's. Before Sunrise is more a story about fate. Celine (Julie Delphy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meet on a train on the way to Vienna. Celine is French and lives in France whilst Jesse is American. They strike up a conversation on the train and discover they have a connection. They decide to get off the train and spend the day in Vienna together, but both of them know that the future for them is uncertain because of the geographical distance.

This really is such a charming and fresh film with strong performance and chemistry from the leads. Hawke and Delphy are both so convincing and strong; they're not your typical Hollywood lovers. The script is also well written, original and clever. A lot of romantic films suffer with bad cliche dialogue, but in the film Jesse and Celine discuss everything from deep philosophical thoughts, their dreams and ideas, science, religion and life in general. I liked how the film isn't all physical and just about sex, but about getting to know one another before hopping into bed with one another. I feel the film relates to me like there are times when I've really felt that I connected with a guy and really liked them, but the next day we go our seperate ways. Well that's mostly a drunken night out, you can't really expect much, but I feel that the story is more realistic. I don't know if love at first sight really does exist, but I do believe in fate and that two people who have just met can share a deep connection.

I like how the story is simple and not one of those OTT million dollar budget films; this film really goes to show that less is more. I also like how the story just centres around Celine and Jesse, that there are no other main characters but them. It's nice that the story focuses just on them and we aren't distracted by other main characters. Before Sunrise is touching, deeply romantic and makes you want to believe in romance. It's such a shame that this is such an underrated movie; whilst it has recieved critical acclaim it's not one of those films that many people know about. I also think that Julie Delphy is a really underrated actress; Ethan Hawke is in a lot of films though and he recieves more recognition.

I really recommend this film; it's so beautiful and full of meaning. It's such a unique story and not one which is overly soppy with annoying characters. It's a film that guys might even deem to be OK and might want to see because of the sharp script and low key story. Hollywood should take the leaf out of this film; not all films need a big budget and in demand actors to succeed. Also the ending of the film is brilliant; I won't give it away but I felt it was a really strong ending which was neither depressing and disappointing nor happily ever after. I really love this film and I desperately want to see the sequels; Before Sunset and Before Midnight which also look really good. I'm so glad I saw this film.

Grade: A+/A*.