Movie Review: Before Sunrise

"I think that’s why life is so interesting-- because it’s going to end."

Before Sunrise, the first film in the Before trilogy, is a movie that makes you fall in love with love. Starring Ethan Hawke as Jesse and Julie Delpy as Celine, the two meet on a train and decide to get off together to spend a night in the city of Vienna. The glamour surrounding the beginning of a relationship is evident, but through conversations that dig deep into each character in spite of only knowing each other for less than a day, they form a connection. The magical charm and euphoria is also reflected in the storyline and the city, with a beggar that writes about milkshakes and delusions, slight smiles at a vinyl store, a fortune teller that chants of stardust and supernovas, and the sound of Bach on a harpsichord intertwined with the early morning birds. 

However, there is an underlying eerieness present, highlighted especially in their talks about misery and death. Celine constantly fears death and her past haunts her. A facade is always up for protection, a wariness mixed with angriness even though according to Celine, the only person she could really hurt is herself. 

The two characters have an interesting dynamic, Jesse being the daydreamer with some peculiar outlooks on life, and Celine playing the pragmatic one. He recalls memories of seeing the ghost of his dead grandmother and finding comfort in being told he was a mistake-- his life is then his doing. She tells of how she approaches relationships with a plan, and how the spark will fizzle out between them should they see each other all the time. 

They part with a plan to see each other again, with the hopes that living life on their own will enable them to not fall into a destructive path and their love will not dilute. With a heartwarming complexity, Before Sunrise is the perfect, not-too-sappy, rainy day movie.