Essentially, it's a hundred-minute conversation; it's loose and meandering but fairly enjoyable.

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2018)

'Before Sunrise (1995)' essentially has no plot and, though that's the point as the intention is to be a romance with all the extraneous 'Hollywood' elements removed, this leads to an experience that feels loose, aimless and meandering. It's experimental and laid-back by design but isn't the most gripping of narrative pieces because of it. It certainly feels less a character-study of its two leads and more a vehicle for Linklater, Krizan, Delpy and Hawke (the latter two of whom contributed heavily to the script uncredited) to express some of their most unique of ideas. These come constantly, seeming like stories they've told to friends or theories they have about life, love and religion, and, while they can be interesting (genuinely thought-provoking in cases), they don't really develop the characters and seem sort of out of place within the story. It's difficult to explain why most of that stuff doesn't seem to work, but it just doesn't feel fully genuine in most cases. It doesn't feel like it comes from the characters or express their budding romance, though this sort of talk certainly forms the basis for most relationships. Still, it isn't all unsuccessful. There is certainly some charm to the picture, once it picks up steam. In the end, the experiment seems to have worked. It was creatively refreshing for all involved and evokes memories of wandering around a holiday desination talking about nothing for hours. There's even some impressive long takes and the 'unscripted' feel is admirable considering it was all scripted down to the letter. This all leads to a sort of inane, carefree and somewhat nostalgic - if limited - enjoyment of a hundred-minute conversation told with cinematic language. 6/10