Take a tour you won't regret taking.

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2013)

There is something so endearing about "Before Sunrise". The story can be described in a single line and yet the film addresses immensely complex issues like parents, religion and love. It's a romance, an old-school one, shot, cut and acted with such uncanny skill that it feels like a piece out of your life.
The story follows two people, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), who meet on a train en route to Paris and decide to spend twenty-four hours walking around Vienna. In the time they spend together, they talk about all the things that made them what they are and what they could've become.
When romanticizing a meeting between two strangers, one should be careful to avoid clichés or risk a film that slogs. Director Richard Linklater thankfully does avoid it, because the first meeting between the two protagonists is handled with great caution. A hesitant Celine is talked into accompanying Jesse around Vienna, which Jesse later remarks that 'the coolest thing about this evening was that it was never meant to be'. There are moments like these when you know how different this particular cinematic romance is, because it feels real. The first few conversations between the characters are slightly awkward because neither of them know if they've made the right choice. Linklater handles the awkwardness, the slight embarrassment and the excitement patiently, letting his characters evolve with time. There is a masterful scene in which Jesse and Celine get inside a listening booth wherein one looks at the other and looks away when the other tries to catch his gaze. As the time passes, the characters become more and more open with one another and the conversations turn personal. In a fantastic scene in a restaurant, the two characters feign telephonic conversations with their friends, talking about their encounter and, at the same time, being honest about their attraction to each other.
Apart from the performances, the writing is impeccable. The colloquial conversations are enchanting in many ways, because they are ones which we have had with someone at some point in our lives. They are biting, honest and witty, and yet, they don't lead anywhere. It's just two people talking about their point of view on things like religion, love and life but there won't be a minute where you'll get bored of it.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are both stellar in their respective roles. Cinematographer Lee Daniel beautifully captures the narrow alleys of Vienna and makes the city look like an inconspicuous character itself. Linklater, one of the major talents of the 90s, directs with peerless virtuosity, not letting the conversations drag on for too long and successfully have his protagonists emote the right emotions at the right time, a skill which is hard to perfect and here we have someone who has managed it wonderfully in his third directorial feature.
"Before Sunrise" is a different kind of romance, one which stays with you for a long time after it ends. It's a film to be watched because it very nearly manages to put into words some things which are otherwise impossible to do so.