Saturday, August 26, 2023

Before Sunrise (1995)

 'Before Sunrise' is the first film in what would become a trilogy. American Ethan Hawke and French woman Julie Delpy meet on a train, feel a connection, and decide to spend late afternoon to the next morning together in Vienna, before Hawke must catch a plane back to the States. The couple go to an amusement park, restaurant, a couple of bars, watch street performers and otherwise kill time, but mostly they talk. It's charming, low key, a magical night.

Richard Linkletter is a director particularly interested in capturing a sense of the moment. When he can help it he's not concerned with a rigid plot, he favors a lose, naturalistic feeling. Our leads only meet because the German couple seated near Julie get into an awkward fight, so she moves seats and ends up sitting near Ethan, there is mutual attraction, they strike up a conversation, serendipity. There is a very young energy here, yet also a timelessness. I like Ethan and Julie, I like them as people and as a couple, and am curious to see what comes next. ***

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