A romantic movie for the thinking man and woman

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2005)

I hadn't heard of "Before Sunrise", until the sequel "Before Sunset" was released. Because there was quite some hype around the sequel and the first one was broad-casted a few days later, I gave it a try. At first I wasn't too convinced about this movie's quality, but I kept watching it anyway and gradually I started to like it more and more. I guess this is the kind of movie that you have to see a couple of times before you can like it at its fullest.
"Before Sunrise" tells the story of a French graduate student named Celine (Julie Delpy) who meets a young American named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) on the Budapest-Vienna train. She is returning to Paris and he's making a trip through Europe. But instead of continuing their trip on their own, they decide to get of the train in Vienna, where they will spend the entire day and night together. During their stay of 14 hours, they get to know the city and each other, but when the night ends and another day begins, they have to say goodbye to each other, not knowing if they will ever meet again...
This isn't yet another romantic movie based on the all too known concept of boy meets girl, boy and girl have a fight, boy and girl realize they love each other too much and live happily ever after. I guess you could call this a romantic movie for the thinking man and woman. This isn't just a corny flick, but a very intelligent and beautiful movie that will offer you the chance to really get to know its characters in a profound way.
Overall this is a romantic movie with a well written story, interesting characters and of course a beautiful city as a setting. What more could you possibly expect? Not much, and that's why I give this movie at least a 7.5/10.