Before Sunrise
1995 Directed by Richard Linklater
Synopsis
Can the greatest moment of your life last only one night?
A dialogue marathon of a film, this fairy tail love story of an American boy and French girl. During a day and a night together in Vienna their two hearts collide.
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Something another Letterboxd user (Ole Holgersen) wrote the other day about a movie he'd just watched has stayed with me since. The movie was After Life, and he mentioned how it's about wether or not one would have chosen to stay within a certain memory, reliving it over and over again. I've yet to come to a conclusion, but one thing has become crystal clear: had my memory been that of Hawke, or Delpy for that matter, and their magical time together in Vienna, there is not a doubt in my mind. I'd have chosen to relive it until the end of my days.
I've been putting off Richard Linklater's remarkable, romantic masterpiece for a very long time, and haven't…
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The best love poem ever filmed.
Sweet without being sugary.
Heartfelt without being sappy.
A big heart shaped slice of perfection.
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Something I caught this time: near the beginning, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) are still on the train, Jesse tells a story about being a child and seeing his grandmother in a rainbow after she'd passed, concluding that, even in death, nothing is certain. But once they're off the train, there are repated instances, like their encounters with the fortune teller and the impromptu poet, where Jesse is very skeptical, cynically assuming that each is a hustler. It's Jesse that initiates the romantic gesture of getting off the train, then he constantly expresses doubt about whether true love exists (perhaps partly because he recently broke up with his girlfriend). So are Jesse's initial motives more cynical than…
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The best part about Before Sunrise is that it was not My Dinner with Andre. "But PTAbro," you might say: "Wallace Shawn is clearly as beautiful as Julie Delpy, just in a different way." I will certainly not argue that fact, but I will admit I went into Before Sunrise expecting the same kind of dialogue-driven, existential and cerebral love story of the mind. In some ways it is (and this is not necessarily a bad thing, as evidenced by Andre), but what Linklater manages to do that completely exceeded my expectations was balance that love story with visual entertainment. Andre succeeds because the subject matter is involving and the characters are interesting people. The problem, however, is that as…
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The Good: Holy shit... I got some serious goosebumps while revisiting this film, especially now, knowing what becomes of our star-crossed lovers. Perfect screenplay (How in the hell did this not win anything back in '95?). The stunning Julie Delpy. The listening booth scene. The "phone call." The station scene. The closing montage. Excellent replay value. Pure, fucking magic from start to end.
The Bad: None.
The Bottom Line: All I got to say is thank God for that bickering German couple. Celine and Jesse forever.
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Rarely does a simple story of a romantic connection result is such affecting beauty. Following Jesse (Ethan Hawke), a young American man, and Celine (Julie Delpy), a young French woman, who decide in spur-of-the-moment fashion to spend the entire night together wandering around Vienna. Richard Linklater uses the remarkably simple concept and uses it to focus on purely natural emotions. Linklater had already proven his grasp of the strained yearnings of youth with Slacker (1991) and Dazed and Confused (1993), and here he sticks with the theme youthful anxieties but in a much more emotionally resonant way. Focuses on the free-flowing dialogue and chemistry between two characters who represent all the angsts and uncertainties of a new generation.
Hawke's Jesse…
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You don't have to be in love for "Before Sunrise" to hit and hurt. And it does, plenty. It's a celebration of impulse and ambition, a Kiarostami-like rumination on love and relationships, and that muses and wanders its dreamy little head into the pantheon of cinema as something true, changing and affirming.
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Originally posted at: evantvmoviegames.tumblr.com/post/50826581157/beforesunrisereview
How often is it that films that are so highly regarded often disappoint you? I’d say too often, and really, it’s a bit saddening. However, in that sadness, something begins to form. An appreciation for those certain great, highly regarded films that you end up viewing, the movies that truly connect with you, are all the more special due to those previous duds you had to sift through. Before Sunrise is not one of those duds.
Easily one of the best things about Before Sunrise is that it just feels fresh. Even nearly two decades after its release, it has a young sensibility that’s in large part thanks to the two lead performances by Ethan Hawke…
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Beautiful.
I would have written a longer review, but I have to watch Before Sunset, and I have to watch it NOW! Doesn't that one word just describe this movie anyways?
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Before Sunrise is a small little film about two strangers who decide to spend a night in Vienna together. It's the best first time viewing I've seen in weeks and one of the sweetest films I've ever seen The characters are extremely likable and despite the fact that the entire film is just the two of them talking I found myself glued to the screen. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are both great and Richard Linklater does a lot to keep the film visually interesting. This isn't a very complex film; there are no twists or big ideas, but it is a very nice story with very real people that I really connected to. For what it is, the film is essentially perfect.
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What a marvelous movie. The chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is seamless from the get-go and I was drawn into their relationship immediately. As their relationship evolved, as did my interest - a testament to the strong acting and witty dialogue. Director and co-writer Richard Linklater (along with co-writer Kim Kriznan) devised intriguing anecdotes / world observations and created a path to discuss common relationship issues in a mannerism that didn't seem cheesy or forced. The music and city of Vienna play into the story very well - similar to Midnight in Paris, which I saw before this and also love. I really cannot wait to check out the sequel, Before Sunset, and the new Before Midnight.
Random plot question (spoiler) - what happened to their bags all day/night between when they left the train station and when they returned?
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A frequently brilliant story of fleeting love that just feels alive from its first frame to its last. The chemistry between the leads appear genuine. In fact, this is probably one of the most convincing love stories of all time.
The loose structure works for and against the film. While it provides the perfect framework for the naturalistic performances, there are entire scenes that function more as side-shows for the characters to react to. While always entertaining, they are also diverting and sometimes threaten to function as padding for the overall plot.
I see how this is totally necessary for the narrative arc, but it's exactly this necessity that prevents this very good film from being a great one.
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Don't you know me?
Don't you know me by now?(δενειμαικαθολουκαλα)
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Inesquecível!
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Very authentic and honest. Great dialogue. Genuine Story. Amazing Chemistry between the actors. But it was kind of boring.
AND I'M JEALOUS I CAN'T FIND A WOMAN LIKE THAT!
However, I'll tell you right now I am now growing Ethan Hawke's hair, mustache, and chin beard.