Lovely tale of romantic love

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2007)

I love this movie - a really inspiring, intelligent picture. No on-screen sex, no violence and very little swearing, this is a textbook example of a how to make a romantic movie.
The simple story sees crazy but gentle American student Jesse (Ethan Hawke) met thoughtful, dreamy French girl Celine (Julie Delpy) on a train and they go on to spend the night in Vienna together, before Jesse has to catch a train in the morning.
That's it. Okay, the pair of them encounter some interesting people on the way, including a palm reader, a pair of amateur actors and a poet but in the main it is all about them and how they connect with each other.
The dialogue in this movie flows like a river, and it is all down to the touching chemistry between the two leads Delpy and Hawke, who connect and react to each other so fluidly it is difficult to believe what they're saying isn't real. Their dialogue is intelligent and they talk equal amounts of nonsense and truth at the same time. They have a great non-dialogue moment in a music shop, where they want to kiss each other but don't and the camera lingers on their mutual reactions.
You would have to a have a heart of stone and a soul of lead not to fall in love with this movie, and let it re-energize your faith in love and life.