Before Sunrise

American tourist Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meets French student Celine (Julie Delpy) on the train. He talks her into getting off and walk around in Vienna. They walk the night away.

I really love this movie when it first came out. There was no hint of the following sequels. It's just a great charming first date movie. The leads have great chemistry. They are both charming and lovely. This is a lot of first-date talk. It doesn't get tie down by artificial plot elements. There is nothing to drive the plot. There is no Holy Grail. There is no quest. There is no destination. There are just two people talking and trying to connect. It stops and starts. They meet two oddly funny Germans who invite them to their play. In a more conventional movie, they would actually go to this play. They forget to go and that's kind of the point. Their journey meanders without much direction. There are also great scenes of long continuous takes. Director Linklater just let the actors go on forever on the streetcar. The whole movie feels refreshing.

Sweet and charming, funny and poignant, plot less but meaningful, "Before Sunrise" (1995), the third movie of Richard Linklater, is dedicated to everyone who ever been in love, is in love, or never been in love but still dreams of it and hopes to find it. It is one of the very rare movies that is/should/will be equally interesting to teenagers, their parents and even grandparents. It seems a very simple little movie with no spectacular visual effects, car chases, or long and steamy sex scenes. Two young people in their early 20s, two college students (American tourist Ethan Hawke who is returning home after the summer in Europe and the French student Julie Delpy who goes to Paris to attend the classes in Sorbonne) meet on a train. They are attracted to each other instantly even before they start talking, they hop off the train in Vienna where they walk around exploring the city all night. They talk and fall in love. That's it, that's the movie. It could've been boring and silly but instead, it is a lovely, believable, clever, and moving romance that only gets better with each viewing (at least, for this viewer). High praise and my sincere gratitude go to the director and writers for delivering two charming characters, superb writing, always interesting and witty dialogs, two awesome performances, and the atmosphere of magic that falling in love is. Julie Delpy, who looks like a Botticelli's angel, is great in portraying smart, independent, and incredibly attractive young woman.

What an incredibly brave and honest look at relationships. I've have never seen a film so precisely and brilliantly capture this kind of emotion and transfer it to the screen the way Before Sunrise does. What a crime that neither Ethan Hawke or Julie Delpy was nominated for any major acting awards, actually screw that! What a crime it was that they didn't both sweep every major acting award altogether and that Richard Linklater didn't get any recognition for the screenwriting or brilliant directing of his wonderful actors! Loved the ending (as much as it pained me at the same time), loved how after it all they go back and show every location that the couple shared together. Loved how the dialogue never wavers, never addressing the relationship directly but allows us to indirectly see a geniune bond forming through the body language, facial expressions, and the dialogue, ooooohhh the dialogue. Every bit of it plucked right from those top ten late night conversations we've all had with close friends whether it was serious or in jest. And respect to Linklater for keepin it real, the movie was rated R cause of a couple minor swear words? Could of easily been removed without really desecrating the film but he keeps it in anyways. Screw you hollywood, your 'romantic comedies', your Freddie Prinze Jr.'s, your 'take the glasses off the girl and now she's pretty' movies. This is real romance! This is what I come to the movies for, to think, to be provoked and to be swept away by the magic that only cinema can provide. Before Sunrise has single-handedly reminded me about why I goto the movies......

This movie is intelligent. That is, more than most other movies, it transcends the least common denominator - stupid people will probably not appreciate it. The story also relies heavily on dialogue. It has some parallels to Lost in Translation, although Before Sunrise is much brighter, somehow less abstract, and simply a lot better.

The script, the characters and even the slightly surreal atmosphere feel totally realistic. The actors play absolutely brilliantly. Rarely have I seen a movie where the script and the acting has melted this perfectly together.

The dialogue moves into very personal issues, with the risk of becoming a little over the top. It does, however, stay on the right side almost all the time, although I found a few moments a little awkward and embarrassing. Balancing on this fine line demands outrageously talented actors. Sometimes, it yields great results, and overall this movie is simply stupendous! Only very, very rarely is "love" in films depicted in a way that I find trustworthy and realistic. Every time that is achieved, the result is fantastic. I think the stunning and apparently timeless beauty of the female lead actress helped quite a bit in this respect. She still looks stunning in this film, 12 years after.

This is simply a gem of a movie that you can't miss. One of the best movies I have seen from the 1990s!

While traveling by train through Europe, the American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and the French Celine (Julie Delpy) meet each other and decide to spend the night together in Austria. On the next morning, Jesse returns to United States of America, and Celine to Paris.

"Before Sunrise" is one of my favorite romances, indeed one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever seen. It is a low budget movie with a very simple and real storyline, but the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is perfect, and the dialogs are stunning. The direction is amazing, transmitting the feelings of Celine and Jesse to the viewer. I have just completed my review number 1,000 in IMDb, and I choose "Before Sunrise" for this significant number because it is a very special film for me. I cannot understand why this movie was not nominated to the Oscar, with such a magnificent screenplay, direction and performances. Yesterday I have probably watched this movie for the third or fourth time, and I still love it. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Antes do Amanhecer" ("Before Sunrise")