A different kind of film about love.

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2013)

Usually when we're subjected to a film about love, we enter the film with a certain realm of expectation. We expect to see the two meet, fall in love, get into a fight and either reunite or not at the end. We've seen films recycle those motions time and time again, and that is what makes Before Sunrise such a compelling watch. This is no Nicholas Sparks adaptation. There is no Celine Dion song on its soundtrack. Its a film about love, through and through.
The film begins on a train, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet each other while talking about fellow passengers that bothered them. After hitting it off on the train ride, Jesse convinces Celine to spend the entire day and night together before he boards a flight and they move on with their lives. They spend their time in Vienna, a city that works as a perfect setting for the love between these two characters.
What is so compelling about this film is that it defies convention. This film at its core is about these two characters and how they spend what is probably one of the best days of their lives together. They wander around the town, from place to place, doing activity to activity while engaging in natural and insightful conversation. The conversations they have are a deep look into who these characters are and how well they work together.
Richard Linklater's unique vision shines through in this project, as the camera follows them around as they wander a city completely foreign to them. It intensely focuses on the development of these two characters and it also documents a realistic connection between two human beings over the span of one day. It shows what can happen when you take a risk, and that love can bloom in any situation, when you don't expect it. Hawke and Delpy completely become these characters, and we hardly ever feel like we're watching a movie. We hope that we can go to Vienna and see Jesse and Celine walking around together.
Before Sunrise is a terrific accomplishment with its minimalistic production. If it were book it would be a fascinating one because the characters are richly detailed, but they're brought to life by the actors through the way they look at each other and talk to each other and walk together and it makes for a touching and thoughtful experience. Jesse and Celine are two people to genuinely root for, and though I feel fulfilled in having watched it, I'd be upset if their story wasn't continued. Boy, its a good thing the film has spawned two sequels.