Slacker for romantics

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2005)

Before Sunrise is a quiet gem from Richard Linklater, the director of such quirky, era-defining films such as Slacker and Dazed and Confused. His film could be described as a post-slacker romance with heart as two twenty-somethings meet on a train headed for Vienna, and develop an instant attraction and rapport, so much so that both decide to spend the next day together in Vienna until sunrise marks their departure. French actress Julie Delpy, best known for her contribution to Three Colours White, plays Celine, a Sorbonne student; while Ethan Hawke plays Jesse, an American who has just split with his girlfriend in Spain and decides to euro-rail his way back to some sense of normality. What follows is a delightful use of off-the-wall dialog and picturesque locations, but rather than show us the tourist Vienna, Linklater opts for less-likely haunts: an eerie cemetery for unknown people; small side streets; slightly seedy bars. Along the way both meet a a variety of Slacker-like types, from a theatrical duo with a wry sense of humor to a Viennese poet-in-demand. Such exchanges feel like Linklater's insistence on brining the arbitrary exchanges of Slacker to his first romantic feature and although the scenes have an eccentric edge, some feel forced and contrived as if Linklater was too fond of Slacker to let its influence wane in this work.
The performance of both leads is excellent. Delpy has a natural presence in front of the camera and has iconic looks to grace many a cineaste critique in year's to come; while Hawke plays against type as the sensitive, poetic American so alien to the teen trash peddled by Hollywood. The film demands the viewer's patience at times but the journey is well worth the ticket price. This is probably one of the most engaging romances in recent times ad one which paved the way for the equally brilliant sequel, Before Sunset.