Review of Before Sunrise (2005) by Diwahar R — 16 Jan 2016

Richard Linklater is known for being a director obsessed with time and mundane stories that general audiences can relate to and/or laugh about them, so what better representation of this statement than the first chapter of one of the most peculiar sagas in recent cinema: The cult classic "Before Sunrise".

Set in the 1990s (this is possible the most 90s film ever), a young USA citizen named Jesse meets a French woman named Celine on a train from Budapest. The two realize that they have chemistry and decide to go to Vienna to spend one night together to know each other.

Knowing the reputation of this saga, and following a recommendation of a friend of mine, I decided to give this film a try but I wasn't exactly expecting much, and while I can see why this film is as beloved as it is, it didn't surprise me. "Before Sunrise" counts with two fun to watch characters that have depth (unlike most romantic films), acting that fells extremely natural, Linklater´s directing is as personal and flat as always, the romance is believable, some of the comedy is genially funny, a natural and almost seamless storytelling that takes its time to let you know who this characters, beautiful settings, an indie soundtrack that fits with this experimental film, the chemistry between Hawk and Delpy is just mesmerizing (Its even hard to believe that they didn't end up together), some of the interactions between Jesse and Celine are relatable to every couple, and overall it is extremely impressive that Linklater managed to make a 100 minute film that's all about two people walking and talking, entertaining. But this film isn't perfect, it has a humongous problem: The dialog is extremely pretentious. As always, Linklater makes his characters talk like high school hippies that try to be philosophical and smart, sure there are moments when the dialog is spot on but when they start talking about "the meaning of life" is just painful to hear.

"Before Sunrise" is the definition of indie cinema: It is small, personal, cheap, and nothing flashy, but it is also charismatic, memorable and well made. A fantasy film that's almost the perfect romance in cinema, but Linklater´s hippie dialog prevents it from achieving that status. One of the most peculiar, well made and overall best romantic films you can find.