Sweet-cakes and milkshakes

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2016)

They are both young and alone, and full of ideas about falling in love and growing old. Jesse has a rather pretentious idea for a 24/7 television broadcast of life as it is, but I am sure he is not just trying to be profound for the sake of getting laid (although in one instance, he cynically muses that a poet must have pre-composed that lovely verse, but changes tact almost straight away because of Celine). But he does edge closer in the tram, and fiddle with his hands and jacket, and in one little perfect moment, go to brush away a strand of her hair almost nonchalantly, but quickly pull out of it as she turns to him. At one point, he scoffs at the idea of such a chance meeting, of everyone always putting big romantic projections onto encounters, but changes his mind when he does this himself. Celine laughs at his idea, and pretends not to notice his advances, but pays closer attention to a sweet anecdote about a young boy learning about death and decides that he is interesting, and not just because of the red in his beard or his blue eyes.
Most of this film is talking and talking and talking, and to some that is boring, but for the lovestruck pair it is precious time. Linklater shoots in fluid long takes that are quiet and unobtrusive, and the background of Vienna at night flies past them - this could take place in any city in the world, and their feelings would not change. He relies so heavily on the self-composed dialogue of Hawke and Delpy, and their body language which is a marvellous indication of their growing attraction. In one iconic scene in a music booth, they listen without a word, but their eyes nervously steal glances at and away from each other, and it is so perfectly reminiscent of young love, and how they both pretend not to be lingering in their gaze. In another, they tease and pry via a mock phone call, and reveal, whilst giggling, just how deeply they have fallen in love with each other (and it is so effective that every rom-com has used this device since).
They bounce ideas back and forth, and these are conversations which broach great subjects - what the qualities of love are, if there is a god or not, the degree to which you should be frightened of death. The trio's script is so perfectly balanced. There are long winded stories that talk of deeply meaningful things; Jesse recalls a wedding tradition that has the bride and groom stare silently and longingly at each other, and in the aftermath, they too exchange this, though not for an hour (Celine looks away after a spell, perhaps sensing they are moving too fast). And then there are less profound moments; Jesse leans in as if to whisper something deep, and then goes for a kiss. Celine too mars a romantic moment overlooking the city by speaking quite plainly and straightforwardly about it, but instead of a tender touching of the lips they seem to swallow each other's mouths and be smother and squished together. And when they do the usual interrogations, their dialogue is so well written. It is defensive, as if they are in the midst of a perfect daydream but trying to awkwardly justify exactly why they are so easy to fall in love, why they should take a chance with each other, why they are not broken and beyond repair. The pinball machine is the perfect accessory to their passive aggressive reminiscing, and they each have a turn, and a story to tell.
Of course, they have their differences, and it is not all airy- fairy. They have starkly different reactions to a palm reader, and here we see a portion of Celine that still believes in the magic that has all but disappeared in 2 decades time. And they both have differing opinions on religion, but seem to see a little magic in each other, and this encounter. This sparks a wonderful conflict at the end of the film. They have spend the entire night together, and against all odds, fallen in love. To get on that train and speak not another word would cement the night forever, to be cherished for all time. But they also cannot bear for it to be over; their almost animalistic final embrace is a testament to that. So they compromise, in the most foolish and lovestruck way imaginable; the fateful 6 months later meeting, no contact info, no room for post-phoning. And is is tragic, and then perfectly encapsulating of their brief love affair, because it becomes a hazy and beautiful moment.