Before Sunrise (1995)
(Richard Linklater, US 1995, 101 min., DCP)
Boy meets girl. Boy asks girl to get off the train with him in Vienna for one night that will change both of their lives. This is the simple premise of director Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, his follow-up to Dazed and Confused. Enlisting stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy to assist in the development of their characters throughout the shoot, Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Delpy) come alive around a night of conversation, wandering around the Austrian city. The meet-cute happens on a train that is carrying Jesse to Vienna to catch a plane and Céline home to Paris. Feeling that they share a connection, Jesse asks Céline to stay with him in Vienna as he waits for the plane. They wander the city, soaking in the nightlife while talking about life, love, sex, and the nature of existence. As the night comes to an end and dawn breaks, they must decide whether this is the end or only the beginning.