Sublime Poetry

Rating: Null/10 (10 February 2009)

'Before Sunrise' is an example of cinema at its purest, simplest and most sincere form. How can I start describing it? Shall I start with the dazzling locations? The beautiful score? The stupendous screenplay? The breathtaking dialogues? The vivacious cinematography? The terrific direction? The excellent performances? Linklater is clearly a very versatile director. The way he's put everything in this film together is outstanding. Even though I'm familiar with Europe, the way he portrays the locations makes me want to visit those places. Throughout the film we see Jesse and Celine walk through the streets of Vienna and Linklater wonderfully returns to the same places in the end and even though both the characters have left for their respective current destinations the one feels their essence as if walking down memory lane.
The development of the bond between Celine and Jesse is shown in a very subtle form. We can easily see how they are falling in love by noticing the way they look at each other, the way they talk to each other and the way they touch each other. The dialogues are sheer magic. The exceptional combination of humour, philosophy, spontaneity and subtlety brings a uniqueness about its treatment and yet it feels fascinatingly familiar. A charismatic Ethan Hawke and luminous Julie Delpy deliver natural performances. There is a sizzling chemistry and it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that they were acting. I feel both these two extraordinary actors are criminally underrated.
The soundtrack marvelously stays in tune with the film. The cinematography guides us through the city as we walk along with Celine and Jesse, participating as silent observers without them being aware.
'Before Sunrise' is sublime poetry. It is a must have for my DVD collection and the soundtrack for my CD collection. I will surely be revisiting it many more times as I know there will be something new to discover during each viewing.