Before Sunrise (1995)

2007 #95
Richard Linklater | 97 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Two 20-somethings meet on a train from Budapest to Paris, get off in Vienna and spend the night there until one of them has to fly out in the morning. A simple premise, though you may wonder how it sustains 95 minutes.

The answer is, very well. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy make for a likable couple and it’s no chore to spend so long with, essentially, just them chatting to each other. Some of the attempts at philosophising may wear thin (Delpy especially seems more adept in the lighter parts), but the funny and romantic sections do work beautifully.

Bittersweet in all the right ways. Probably best watched while still fairly young.

See also my review of the sequel, Before Sunset.