Antes del amanecer

'Before Sunrise' is not a film to be scrutinised, nor studied. The absolute beauty of it lies in its perfection as a simple love story - of two lives suddenly thrown together in the midst of reality, and the ensuing night of simple love that follows. Every individual at some time in life dreams of the connection that is portrayed in this film between Jesse and Celine, and few ever find it. 'Before Sunrise' simply and elegantly demonstrates how the most fundamental passions of human emotion can envelope two complete strangers. The beauty of this film is that the story is the most important element. The ending is both provocative and emotional - scenes of the night previously seen in darkness are now portrayed in lonely daylight as the sun rises and the story closes on these two characters.

I saw this film by accident one night late on television. I have never forgotten it. So well is it made that the audience never question if this could ever really happen in life, reality being so absolutely characterised in it.

'Before Sunrise' is simply the story of two strangers bound in Vienna's lonely night splendour - one night of love in all its glory, one superb piece of film making.

This has to be one of the most sincere and touching boy-meets-girl movies ever made. While "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Say Anything" deliver nice portrayals, this movies strips down useless subplots and Hollywood divergences. This movie focuses purely on watching the budding of a beautiful romance. You never doubt for a second that the film will lead towards the romantic pairing of these two people. You almost immediately sense the synergy and the chemistry between Jesse and Celine, and it is simply pure joy to watch them find it. This movie is mostly all dialogue -based. But, every conversation between these too is greatly intriguing. What makes this pairing so romantic is how real it is. How in all that conversation, while often having no real bearing on anything critical, you can sense the nuances as these two become more fond and trusting of each other. This is exactly they way you would dream that you meet that special someone. And what makes it so true is that it is not even too fantastic to believe. This could be what would happen if you had been confident enough to strike up a conversation with that person you noticed somewhere random. And what puts the icing on this film is the magnificent backdrop of Vienna in which this film takes place. It just adds to the feeling of romantic nirvana that the film suggests. And no matter how many times I watch this film, I don't think I will ever tire of that.

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.

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")