Before Sunrise

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2012)

I may have heard about this film and its sequel together, and perhaps one of the two separately, but when I read more about this one, the first, it definitely sounded like something that may be really interesting to see pan out, from writer / director Richard Linklater (Waking Life, School of Rock, A Scanner Darkly, Me and Orson Welles). Basically on a train from Budapest travelling through Europe, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a young American man going to Vienna to catch a flight back to the United States, and Céline (Broken Flowers' Julie Delpy) is a young French woman heading back to University in Paris having been to visit her grandmother. When she moves seats he notices her and moves himself, they slowly introduce themselves and start a really flowing conversation, until the train journey reaches Jesse's destination, but he thinks because they are getting on so well that he suggests she should join him for one day, mentioning the thought of unhappy marriage. As Jesse does not have much money he and Céline decide to roam the streets of Venice, filled with many landmarks and beautiful sights, fun things to do and interesting people to meet along the way. Eventually they share a romantic kiss at the top of Riesenrad ferris wheel (just like Timothy Dalton as James Bond 007 did with Kara in The Living Daylights), and they are able to open up much more about their opinions and thoughts about the city, relationships, love, marriage, religion, the differences between men and women, and even sex. Céline reveals that she did have a boyfriend, but they broke up after six months because she felt she was getting too close for comfort or whatever, and Jesse says that he was in fact on his way to a girlfriend who was with him in Madrid, but they broke up too because she was avoiding him. Continuing to walk around Venice they approached by and watch a few people who give them services or entertainment and they pay for them, these include an eccentric Palm Reader (Erni Mangold) who gives them vague predictions, and along the canal Street Poet (Dominik Castell) who asks them for a word to include in a poem that he quickly writes for them, they chose the word "milkshake", and he reads his poem Delusion Angel (written by David Jewell) to them which they are happy with. It has been dark in the city for a while, and Jesse and Céline stop in a café to talk some more, and there they have fake phone call conversations, playing each other's friends, and doing this she reveals that she was going to get off the train anyway, and he reveals that he wanted an escape from his life in his travelling. They admit their feelings to each other, they are both attracted to one another, but they are sure they won't see each other when they will leave the next day, so they decide to make the most of the time they have left together, it is unsure whether they actually did anything but a sexual encounter is implied. The film ends when the next day they rush to the train station where Céline catches the train, but before Jesse leaves her they agree that they will meet again in the spot they are in six months' time to rekindle their love, and as both head for their destinations they reflect on their time together and obviously miss each other. Hawke and Delpy give exceptional and heart-warming performances as the strangers who meet, spend twenty four hours together as friends and by the end of it end up deeply in love with each other, the direction and writing and Linklater is really clever and witty that it makes a film where almost little goes on move at a great pace and is carried simply by words and expressions, it is a marvellous romantic drama. Very good!