BEFORE SUNRISE
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
**** (out of 4 = excellent) R, 1994, 101 minutes [1 hour, 41 minutes] [romance/drama] starring: Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Celine), written by Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, produced by Ann Walker-McBay, directed by Richard Linklater.
Is it possible to fall in love in one night? Or in one minute? What about love at first sight? I'm not sure about the latter two, but I do believe the first notion, mostly because "Before Sunrise" proves it can happen. Finally, a film has completely captured the essence of falling in love.
Ethan Hawke stars as Jesse, an American GenXer vacationing in Europe, who meets a cute French girl Celine (Delpy) on a train to Vienna. The two hit it off, and it is obvious they are attracted to each other. Just from their glances and their immediate chemistry we can sense that attraction. When Jesse must deboard for his stop, he manages to talk Celine into coming with him by using the greatest "pick up line" I have ever heard (it really must be seen to appreciate).
And so the two wander the streets of Vienna, encounter some locals, and tour the city. But they do not get into any kind of conflicts, all they do is be together and talk. At first, the awkwardness is evident, and their first kiss is definitely uncomfortable, but after awhile they start to loosen up as they get to know each other better.
Linklater and Krizan's dialogue is fantastic, it is so realistic and believable it's almost as if they had gone through the motions of these characters and brought a tape recorder with them. Then wrote the screenplay based on the tape.
Because the atmosphere is so realistic, vivid, and believable we identify with the characters and almost become them. I obviously identified with Jesse, as I have gone through similar situations and could tell what he was thinking. Hawke and Delpy's chemistry and individual performances are so outstanding, I felt as if it was me who fell for Celine. I think women will equally identify with Celine and fell for Jesse. Meeting a person you really like is one of the greatest joys in the world, and this is an entire film that plays upon that emotion.
By the end of the night and the next morning the two have discussed many topics, such as sex, religion, feminism, family, and everything in between. When we realize they are probably never going to see each other again it's realistic, but not fair.
"Before Sunrise" is a wonderful story. The dialogue combined with the chemistry between Hawke and Delpy is just so realistic and believable, you feel like you're spying on two actual people.
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