A Rare Film of Riveting Conversation

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2013)

I have heard about this movie for a very long time, and I know it has a multitude of devoted fans. I do not exactly like watching romance movies so I did not really feel the need to watch this. However, with the coming release of the third installment this month, and all the fervid anticipation for it, I finally relented and watched this cult classic, "Before Sunrise."
An American guy Jesse meets a French girl Celine on a train from Budapest to Paris, and hit if off, having a great conversation going between them. When Jesse had to get off at Vienna to catch a plane to the States early next morning, he suddenly asks Celine if she would join him in his last night in Europe so they can continue their talking. Celine impulsively agrees, and the two talk about life and love all night long, meeting some odd characters along the way, until the sunrise broke and they had to go their own ways, vowing to meet up again in that same train station after six months.
I have to admit it was not too easy for me to get into it at the start. However, maybe the charm of Celine and Jesse, thanks to the very realistic performances of Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, drew me in and got me listening to their endless stream of conversation. The refreshing spontaneity of Celine as portrayed by Delpy had me beguiled. She is completely believable as a girl Jesse fell completely in love at first sight with.
Kudos to the script by Director Richard Linklater for the natural flow and glow of words and ideas that people can relate to, succeeding to rivet the attention of even the most jaded of viewers to a movie that is nothing else but conversation between two people. The final scene of goodbye at the train station was very effective as a cliffhanger of sorts. Now I know why people were so excited when "Before Sunset" was released in 2004, nine years after the first film.