BEFORE SUNRISE
A film review by Eric Vormelker
Copyright 1995 Eric Vormelker
Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy Written by: Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan
I attended the world premiere here in Austin, and I don't know when it will be appearing elsewhere, but it will be soon.
I have to say that, right off the top, I have loved all of Linklater's movies so far. Maybe it's because I find his characters speaking with my own words in situations that I remember, or maybe it's because he is my own age, and lives here in Austin, and so the experiences he's dealing with are such strong echoes of my own. Or maybe it's because the people in the film talk like real people, with nerves and facades, startling honesty and stupidity, and absurd solipsism.
So I honestly have no idea how other people outside the dip between GenX and Boomers where I am will respond to this movie.
The story is, basically, a romance.
A couple meets on a train on the way to Vienna.
But Linklater and Kruzanne, Hawke and Delpy (they did have influence) have drawn such strong characters, written such strong dialog, that, as I look back on it, it felt to me like a romance like the old Hollywood romances, a sharp, clean blend of innocence and wisdom, but with a voice like my own.
As I watched the film, I tried a couple times to step out of myself and observe things from the woman's perspective, because I found myself identifying very strongly with Hawke's character, and wondering whether Delpy's character was developed so well. But in talking with my girlfriend afterward, it seems that she wasn't. So if there was any weak point, it was that.
What most impressed me about the film was the way in which, through dialogue and space, and choice of scene, they managed to bring to life the experience of meeting someone, and, in the space of fourteen hours, connecting so closely and deeply that you will remember the event forever.
What strongly reinforced this was the way Linklater used Delpy's looks. When the two first meet on the train, my initial reaction to her was "This woman looks pretty average." And through the film, she slowly became more attractive, until at the end, she appeared stunning. It was as if we were seeing her through Hawke's character's eyes.
One little touch that just cemented the film for me was at sunrise. Just a filler clip Linklater had, of a sky that was that color of blue that only happens about mid-dawn, that color that only looks that way after you've just been up all night. It defined the event, and resonated with me, reminding me of those times, which have been some of the most precious bonding experiences of my life.
Early on in the film, Hawke's character talks about an idea he has for an "All Day in the Life" cable channel, in which, for a full day, the camera just follows a person's life.
In the after-film discussion with Linklater, he admitted that that was not a bad way to describe his filmmaking: looking at the story of the everyday, and bringing out the art of it.
And as far as I'm concerned, he succeeded brilliantly.
Eric Vormelker.
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