Before Sunrise

“i have never been anywhere that i haven't been. i’ve never had a kiss when i wasn't one of the kissers. i’ve never gone to the movies when i wasn't there in the audience. i’ve never been out bowling if i wasn't there, making some stupid joke. i think that's why so many people hate themselves. they are sick to death of being around themselves.” before sunrise is so effortlessly beautiful it hurts. this is exactly why old romantic movies will forever have my heart. i know it’s annoying to hear “before technology, love was different,” but it’s true. every movie from that era makes me ache for modern relationships. because people seemed to listen. they talked. they stayed present. they were open. they were curious. they were willing to hear one another. i kept thinking, if i met someone today, even if i clicked instantly, would i be able to spend a whole night like that? talking nonstop? seeing each other for who you are? i have no idea. they’re so openly spoken with one another, they are thoughtful and emotionally generous. they don’t just talk at each other. they listen, they respond, they agree, they disagree. i loved the few final shots, after they leave each other, when the streets are empty. the people are gone, the love looks gone. but it’s still there. you still see traces of them in the spaces they lived in. the landscapes still hold their conversations. it’s like the absence hurts because the presence was so real. i mean the amount of lines i want to get tattooed to my forehead. but the quote i chose is one i haven’t stopped thinking about since i heard it. there are things people can’t enjoy simply because they are the ones experiencing them. they have to sit with themselves, process, feel, learn how to exist in the moment. and that shit is so hard. that’s why the most earning part of life is learning to love yourself. it’s finding a best friend within yourself. you should want to be the one there, living it from your own point of view. this movie is devastatingly beautiful. i need to watch it every day. it did take me four days to finish because i didn’t want it to end. and im very clearly in a heartbreaking romance mood.