The best film you're likely to find with the most basic of plots and fewest characters

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2006)

Unless you're actually doing something such as watching a film or reading a book, train journeys can seem rather dull. This simple yet now effective fact is used to kick start one of the most underrated, unknown yet oddly attractive films of the 1990's and possibly of all time.
The train has been used as a setting in film for decades and romance is never too far away when it is the setting; whether it features in 'Some Like it Hot' (1959) and Jack Lemmon's undeniable attraction to Sugar Kane or in this film: Before Sunrise; a simple yet effective romantic drama (not a comedy) revolving solely around a mere two people and their seemingly random conversations.
A film like this one does not have to be glamorous. It does not need to draw the audience in with spectacular visuals or dramatic opening sequences nor does it need to introduce a number of different characters through dialogue or otherwise to prove its point. Instead it takes a 'fly on the wall' approach. Wherever our hero's go; we go. Whatever our hero's hear; we hear. Whatever our hero's talk about; we listen and this carries on throughout. The early portion of this film is fairly light-hearted, even fun. The two people obviously have never spoken to one another in their lives and the seemingly nervous banter early on is real ice-breaker stuff which reeks of originality. The dialogue is original and uses a technique only really exploited with any real mainstream purpose by Tarantino whom, himself, was still basking in the glory of 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) which had only been around for a solitary year when this was made and released. In fact, Ethan Hawke's character's acting and much of his dialogue will remind you of Tarantino himself in the way in which he delivers his lines early on!
The nervousness which Celine (Delpy) gives off is counter acted with the rather disturbing confidence that Jesse (Hawke) has throughout the opening half an hour of this film and it creates a rather fascinating juxtaposition as the two counteract each other. Here we have two seemingly complete strangers sharing pretty personal information, pretty early on in the 'relationship' and you really have to watch as to what might happen next. Will Celine accept what this rough, tough looking American has to say? Or will the character slap him and get off at the next tram stop? Interesting stuff as any thing can happen given the fact everything is happening in real time and in a very simple/real environment  no strings attached. This creates a good atmosphere and is complimented by the long takes which stretch out our interest.
Once off the train (or any other transport) the normal, familiar settings of a town/cityscape has never worked so well when in conjunction with a story as pleasant or as natural as this. The city; albeit with all its culture, beauty and so fourth - never seems too glamorous nor does it act as an arrogant, over the top setting for a story so subtle as this one yet at the same, it's more than just 'effective'.
Given the simplicity of the film, there are flaws. One thing that really bothered me and seemed a little too convenient was that of the bilingual tramp/artist whom they both met during the evening. That seemed a little too forced and a little too coincidental for me, even though the whole premise is, in fact, coincidence as that's how they meet in the first place. Another thing is the certain arrogance the camera takes on. The long takes seem to drag on a little during the film, especially when we are not given any interesting background to catch a breather from. This includes the pinball machine scene in the club and should be compared to the tram scene from earlier on in the film. During these bad examples, the actors seem a little less bothered and the dialogue starts to grate a little which is not a pleasant experience. At least in 'Pulp Fiction', the characters are almost always moving on to the next setting, there's always a bit of colour or background activity and there's no annoying pinball machine noises to distract you!
Overall, if you like to travel a lot or if you've visited mainland Europe before or maybe even gone through something like this yourself, you'll like this film. Don't expect anything fantastic, just a decent, well made romance which uses its settings and situation to good effect AND that leaves a fair bit of ambiguity in the air afterwards.