opposites attract

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2013)

Jesse and Ceiline are brought together on a train when an old married couple have a very public fight in that way that only old married couples can manage. Two things become clear very quickly to the young couple - they have chemistry, and the time they can spend together is extremely limited. They set about making the most of mystical. magical, slightly unreal experience. They meander through Vienna, occasionally encountering some minor colourful characters, who despite being finely drawn, are always just a sideshow to the intense, fragile, painfully exposed musings of the young couple.
Hawke and Delpy do a superb job of making an implausible situation seem all too natural and engrossing. Their dialogue could all too easily be self-absorbed and twee (My Blueberry Nights?), but here it is apt and at times incisive. "I fee like I am taking notes, waiting for my real life to begin," says Jese. Much of the success of the film is down to how the observations of the two characters resonate so closely with our own existential concerns.
I made the mistake of watching Before Sunset before watching this. I wish I had encountered them chronologically. Both films are recommended, but only for those who like a slower pace, wry observation, and sheer, unadulterated romance.