‘Before Sunrise’ (1995) Review

Before Sunrise Synopsis: A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.

As I approached my fiftieth review on Letterboxd (and then here), I took to Twitter to ask everyone what movie should be #50. The choices were Before Sunrise, The Jane Austen Book Club, and It Happened One Night. Before Sunrise had no problem winning the poll with 53%!

I was a little nervous watching this, as it’s one I’ve never seen before, but I’ve seen nothing but glowing reviews for the Before Trilogy as a whole, and I was afraid of being let down. Thankfully Before Sunrise met my expectations quite effortlessly. I felt this was what I wanted Destination Wedding to be, but it ultimately wasn’t.

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is an American on a train to Vienna to catch a flight back to the States. Celine (Julie Delpy) is returning to Paris after visiting her grandmother. An argument between a married couple on the train causes them to flee to the lounge car together, and from there, they get to know one another. So intrigued by Celine is Jesse that when the train stops in Vienna, he convinces her to depart the train and spend the night wandering Vienna with him before he has to catch his flight. Feeling the same connection as Jesse had, Celine agrees.

And thus begins a magnificent hour and forty minutes of character study and romance. There are no crazy late-night shenanigans in Vienna, just Jesse and Celine walking around the city, experiencing the sights and each other. Their first kiss might be one of my top ten favorite first kisses in cinema.

It is understated and romantic, with no need for sweeping music or passionate declarations of love. Delpy and Hawke’s chemistry is incredible, and the dialogue is so natural that even I thought for most of the film that the actors had to be improvised. I was even more impressed with the movie when I found out every conversation was scripted and rehearsed down to the overlapping lines.

Linklater is incredibly patient with building Celine and Jesse’s love story. There is an instant connection and attraction, but there is also uncertainty and awkwardness, which makes their relationship increasingly relatable. I loved that there was no melodrama here, and the lack of sex between the characters was a relief, as I feared that brand of intimacy would ruin what the two characters had already built together. Celine and Jesse don’t have any conversations that could be considered life-changing. They’re just talking about who they are and what they believe. They’re not flawless.

I have to say two scenes in Before Sunrise stole my heart. The first is in the record store, where Celine and Jesse huddle in a cramped listening booth to listen to Kath Bloom on vinyl. They are standing close, each stealing glances at one another as soon as the other looks away. The timing between the sweet glances is spot on, and Delpy and Hawke brilliantly project the air of newfound infatuation mingled with just a tiny bit of awkwardness, and oh jeez, haven’t we all been there?

My second favorite was their fake phone calls to one another in a restaurant, where they each pretended to call their best friends back home to tell them about their experience that night in Vienna with a stranger they met on the train. They can be honest about their feelings for one another under the guise of talking to their friends, and it might just be the most mesmerizing scene in the movie.

I’m a little relieved that it took me this long to see Before Sunrise because I’m not sure I would have wanted to wait another nine years to find out if Jesse and Celine ever saw one another again. I’m excited to watch the remaining films and see where time ultimately took Jesse and Celine’s story.

Watched: 03/08/2019
Notable Song: Come Here by Kath Bloom