I recently rediscovered 1995's "Before Sunrise" and 2004's "Before Sunset", two films that (together) show a simple, but honest and touching love story. "Before Sunrise" takes place in Vienna, where Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) spend one romantic night together after having just met on the train to Vienna. The film focuses purely on these two people getting to know (and falling for) each other and because they both know this is probably their only night together it has a bittersweet ending. However, the 2004 sequel "Before Sunset" brilliantly picks up this story and plays out an afternoon when Jesse and Celine meet again in Paris 9 years later. What I love SO much about these films is the smooth and natural dialogue and the relatable characters. You almost don't feel like you're watching a film anymore, everything feels so naturally real and like you're right there with them in this intimate environment. In the first film you live this romantic dream of two young people and I guess you can say that in the second film you learn about the harsh confrontation with reality. By now Jesse and Celine have grown up, both are in poor relationships and you can feel they're dying to know what could have been.. Vienna and Paris obviously make for beautiful backgrounds, but truth be told, this film would've worked even without that. It's all about these two characters played by Hawke and Delpy, the way they act with their eyes more than anything and their amazing chemistry. I could talk about these films for hours, but instead I'll leave you with a video of one of my favourite parts from "Before Sunrise" and I really suggest you watch these films if for some reason you've never seen them before :) (Check out the trailers here and here!)
credit: google