Brilliant, Beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2004)

I love small movies in perfect plausible settings.
I love believable romances.
My favorite feel-good movies are "Running on Empty," "Ruby in Paradise," and now "Before Sunrise," which I just discovered, in time to watch it before seeing its 2004 sequel, "Before Sunset." Although now 9 years old, "Before Sunrise" still feels timely and brand new.
All the essential elements came together: wonderful natural writing (the hardest kind to do), perfect casting, superb direction and performances, lovely photography, great use of unconventional locations in and around Vienna.
This movie has little action, no violence, no explicit sex, no special effects, minimal supporting cast (just the two principal characters), and the whole story spans less than a day. This only goes to show how much 'stuff' is not needed for making a great movie, as long as the essential elements are all present. And no amount of 'stuff' can compensate if any of those elements are missing. 10/10