Before Sunrise

Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?I have been really thinking about this movie after I watched it (accidentally deleted my 800-word review 😭), and I think I got it. This movie is no ordinary one; it's a pretty fucking good one. In terms of plot, it's really minimal while still being clever and fresh. The plot is simple: a girl sits next to a guy on a train, they start talking, they feel a spark, and decide to spend a day together in Vienna. What is there to lose? The movie is essentially just them talking while walking through the streets, cemeteries, parks, and more streets, getting to know each other—their beliefs, pasts, outlooks, and who they are. What keeps this from getting boring or repetitive, as one might expect, is how we truly get to know them more and more with every single thing they say. We see two little souls over the course of a single day and learn so much about them. What makes it special is how we slowly see the initial spark of attraction on the train turn into something deeper. When they first talked, they seemed into each other, but as they walk around, they start to feel real love for each other. That love makes them pour their hearts out as they realize their time is running out. Even in their most romantic moments, there's always an awareness that it will end at some point, and that moment is coming closer and closer when they might never see each other again. I think Linklater translates that fear of the inevitable really well to the audience. Richard really knows how to handle these concepts of time, as shown in his other movies. The themes of this movie are really well explored because of him. This is obviously a romantic movie, but I don't think it's just about couples. It's a movie about time and the beauty of endings. It's about how we shouldn't be scared of when the ending comes, but we should enjoy the moment while we still have it and be happy. For example, Celine in the train talked about how scared she was of death and how that kept her from doing things, but then Jesse teaches her to just enjoy the moment while she still has it. The movie teaches people the same: we shouldn't be scared of the ending of things because endings (for example, vacations) give them worth and make them valuable and special. This movie acknowledges that thinking about the end is inevitable and embraces it as human nature. Even in their happiest moments, we see Jesse and Celine sometimes stop laughing, with a feeling of inevitable doom and seriousness on their faces as they realize this will come to an end. No matter how hard we try, we will think about the ending of things and be sad about them. We shouldn't be mad at ourselves for thinking that; it’s a reality. That sadness is what gives the happy moments meaning. If life was all vacations, it would eventually become boring and uninteresting. The balance of happiness and sadness in our life is what makes us truly happy. Linklater had a huge influence in making this movie great, obviously. Not only did he explore his characters and themes so well, but he also knows how to present it all so fucking perfectly to his audience. I was really, REALLY immersed in the story. I forgot the whole world around me and focused only on that one night. In a way, we are put in their place, just focused on their little world and forgetting the whole reality around them. This is what happens when you see a movie or when you’re in the cinema—it’s harder when you're watching at home, but Linklater managed to put me into the story and, in a way, feel what the characters were feeling. But all this and the whole movie itself simply wouldn’t have worked if it weren’t for the incredible performances of both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, which was pretty much needed in a movie like this that is basically all dialogue, most of it delivered through very long takes with the camera just positioned in a place. They had to be their characters in that scene; it almost feels like the movie was written with them in mind—maybe it was. They both have such a natural genuineness in their performances; it feels like that person is them. That, mixed with a perfect way of handling its characters, made everything feel so real. They worked so well with the material; it’s amazing how perfect they were for these roles. The cinematography in this was also beautiful. Linklater doesn’t really use Vienna as a key to the movie; this could have happened in any other city. That's the beauty of it, but we still see some pretty good shots of the views and places they are in. Sometimes, the camera is placed only on one character while we hear the other talking off-camera, seeing the character's reaction to make it more immersive. The greatest piece of camera work, I think, were probably the final shots. Damn, those hit hard—the final shots where Jesse and Celine were once hanging out, being happy. The camera is placed the exact same way it was when those scenes happened, but now it’s empty like nothing happened (except that they left the bottle of wine in the park—it’s their little mark on the city). The rest is like those two souls are meaningless, because in a way, they are. Overall, this movie is a minimalist but profound exploration of time, love, and the inevitability of endings. It follows a girl and a guy who meet on a train and spend a day together in Vienna, sharing their beliefs, pasts, and outlooks. Their initial spark turns into genuine love, beautifully captured through their conversations and the city's backdrop. Linklater's direction and the natural performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy make the characters feel real. The film reminds us to cherish moments despite their inevitable end, finding beauty in the transient.