Cute and Charming Gem

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2013)

Before Sunrise (1995)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) strikes up a conversation with the French Celine (Julie Delpy) on board a train and soon asks if she'd like to walk around Vienna for a day. Richard Linklater's film was a modest hit when it was released but overtime it's grown into a cult favorite and it's easy to see why. I enjoyed the film when I originally saw it theatrically but revisiting it all these years later makes me realize why it's so special. Obviously you've got the terrific screenplay but you've also got two of the most charming and real performances you're ever going to see. What's so amazing about this movie is that it really comes across as a documentary that has no screenplay and doesn't feature actors. The film really does seem like something from life that has an invisible camera just following around two people who just met and we see where the talking leads them. It's pretty incredible to think that this film works as well as it does because there's really nothing that happens here. The two people walk around talking and every once in a while they sit down somewhere and talk. It took a lot of courage for a film like this but in the end it really pays off. Both Hawke and Delpy turn in some of the best work of their careers and without their chemistry there would be no film. Again, this thing shouldn't have worked for so many reasons but the two stars are so flawless that you can't help but believe the relationship as it blooms. I really liked the way both of them got to make complete characters who aren't alike but they still enjoy their time together. Hawks was the real stand out here because he perfectly brings that charm and laid back coolness to the character. The screenplay gives the two a lot of different stories to tell and while not all of them are interesting, even the less interesting ones still seem like a real conversation you'd have. Throughout a lot of the film I think Linklater makes it so easy to follow because the viewer can see themselves having these same types of conversations with someone in their own lives. BEFORE SUNRISE is a cute little film that manages to be very charming and leaves a smile on your face as the closing credits start.