A perfect meet-cute sounds like a fairytale occurrence, but Richard Linklater shows us a realistic perspective when an American boy and French girl cross paths for the first time on a train to Vienna. 

Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” premiered in 1995 at the Sundance film festival, which was followed by two films, “Before Sunset” in 2004 and “Before Midnight” in 2013, completing the trilogy. 

“Before Sunrise” follows two young adults, Jesse and Céline, as they meet on a Eurail train and join each other for one night together in Vienna. During the hours of their adventure, they talk about their lives, their views on love and their future. 

Linklater based the film off his own experience after meeting a woman in Philadelphia and roaming the city at night with her. He recognized the importance of having a strong female voice in the screenplay, so Kim Krizan joined him in the writing of the film. 

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, playing Jesse and Céline respectively, revealed years after the film’s release that they had both helped write and revise the script during production despite not receiving credits. They were credited as co-writers for the two sequels. 

Because the whole film is carried by the dialogue, it is important that the words feel natural while also being spontaneous. This is one of the most successful aspects of the film. It appears as though Jesse and Céline are real people meeting for the first time and conversing organically. 

However, what makes the film stronger are the spaces between the dialogue. So much is said in just a glance or touch. The unspoken words between Jesse and Céline hold a weight in each scene as they connect on a deeper emotional level. 

A perfect example of this is a scene where Jesse and Céline are in a listening booth at a record store. Nothing is said, but the physicality and body language they hold tells the audience more about their feelings than words ever could. 

There is a bashfulness and almost embarrassment that the characters have with each other that’s reflective of real life. 

In each shot, even the proximity between them feels electric as each one dares to cross into the other’s space. 

Even then, their relationship is not about their physical connection but instead their emotional bond and complimenting minds, which makes the film unique.  

Lee Daniel’s cinematography beautifully captures the parallel of the developing relationship during the cycle of night to sunrise. 

The long takes during conversations make it seem like the audience is sitting or walking with them, not daring to blink and miss a moment. It’s these shots that make the film feel real. 

Hawke and Delpy perfectly capture the development of young love in just the span of 12 hours. Though there is an instant spark between the two right from the start, the growth of their relationship is what drives the film throughout its runtime. 

They contrast each other, one a cynic and the other a romantic, but they align seamlessly. It is the way their differences mingle that gives depth to their connection.

By the end of the film, the audience is left wanting more of Jesse and Céline, which is delivered by both sequels, each set nine years apart. 

This film is about yearning. It is about taking a leap and opening yourself to someone unexpected. It’s about the desire to know everything about one person even in the span of just a few hours.  

It’s hard to believe that watching two strangers talking about absolutely anything could be so captivating. Linklater shows us that it can be with “Before Sunrise.” 

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