Review of Before Sunrise (1933) by Chris W — 04 Dec 2013

I have mentioned in some of my past reviews that of the many different types of film I enjoy, one of them is the type where the story takes place over the course of a few hours or a day. This is one such film. This also happens to be a film by Richard Linklater (whose work I really enjoy).

I'm not real big on romance films, but when I can find one done right, then I'm usually pretty happy. This is one of those films. This movie is almost sickeningly sweet and romantic. It's also pretty honest and realistic. This isn't some sort of feel-good fantasy, it's two souls who meet, spend a day together in a city just wandering around and talking, then part ways- possibly never to see one another again.

This, like my favorite Linklater film (Dazed and Confused) is a film I would like to/wish I would have made. It's a simple concept, and shouldn't really work, but it does. I think it does work because Linklater knows that films don't have to have plot to be good. Not much really happens here aside from walking and talking, but it feels like an immense amount of time has passed once the end credits roll.

The characters have interesting things to talk about, and a lot of this reminded me of sitting in smokey bars and greasy spoons yakking my head off over coffee or beer with friends. In a way, I feel a lot like Jesse. I try to cover up romanticism with cynicism. I however, do not have the artsy, slacker attitude or looks of Jesse (or Hawke), and am not quite as cynical, but he is a character I feel I am on a similar plane with. Julie Delpy is charmingly cute, but not a sexy bombshell. I'm okay with that. I think she's a wonderful actress (with talent and looks), and she fits the part perfectly, as does Hawke. She seems too uptight and opinionated, just like how Jesse is perhaps too much of an immature bum. Even though these two aren't the most likable people, you can't/don't hate them because they are too similar to most of the world's population.

I basically loved everything about this film. The dialogue and performances have to carry it, because there's really nothing else, but that's fine, because those are done so well. The music and camera work are also nice. Besides just walking and talking the scenery is gorgeous, and the music is just as fun to listen to as the conversations. I think I may actually hate this film because I wish I would have seen it sooner and also because this is the type of thing I'd love to do (cinematically and in real life). I'm mad that this film beat me to it.

It's a wonderful concept and the ending for me was just great. Had this been directed by some other director, most of this (if not all of it) would have been false, too sappy, and had an eyerolling worthy ending. Bravo.