Before Sunrise
Written by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan
Directed by Richard Linklater
Columbia Pictures
1995
Rating:


"Before Sunrise" stands as Generation X's best love story and ranks among the greatest romantic films of all time. Filled with wit, philosophical musings and actual passion, all of which are absent in most movies from its genre, "Before Sunrise" probes the hearts and minds of two hopeless romantics.

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet-cute by chance on a train traveling through Europe. Jesse's destination is Vienna, where he will catch a plane back to America the next day. Celine is returning to Paris for classes at the Sorbonne. They begin flirting on the train, first with stolen glances and then through stimulating conversation. When the train arrives in Vienna, Jesse convinces Celine to spend the day with him wandering through the city. They come across actors, poets and palm readers. They talk about their families, relationships, time travel, the problems of reincarnation and reveal personal secrets by having imaginary telephone conversations. They drink coffee, ride a Ferris wheel (the same one featured in "The Third Man"), visit a cathedral at midnight and spend the night together in the park. All the while their attraction for one another grows.

As Celine says, "it sounds like a male fantasy — meet a French girl on the train, fuck her and never see her again." But that's certainly not the case. "Before Sunrise" is a deceptively simple meditation on the realities of love that feels so authentic, it's almost like watching a documentary. There's a wonderful moment where Jesse and Celine share a listening booth in a record store. Celine looks at Jesse, then immediately averts her eyes when he looks at her to avoid being caught. Jesse does the same when Celine notices him glancing at her. In another scene, Jesse reluctantly restrains himself from brushing away a stray lock of hair from Celine's face.

Director Richard Linklater ("Slacker," "Waking Life") perfectly captures that embarrassment, that awkward stage when two people are falling love but can't quite admit it to themselves. A lesser filmmaker would waste these tender moments by having the characters consummate their love then and there. Fortunately Linklater exhibits restraint and uses those stolen glances as the cornerstone for something infinitely more heartbreaking and real. "Before Sunrise" is a bittersweet poem to the blossoming of love, filled with hope, sincerity and that most fragile flower, possibility.

Posted Sunday, May 22, 2005

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