Before Sunrise (1995) Review – When Conversation Becomes Connection

 

A fleeting night in Vienna, held together by conversation before the sun rises.

🎥 Film Overview

Title: Before Sunrise 

Director: Richard Linklater 

Release: January 27, 1995 (USA) 

Runtime: 101 minutes 

Genre: Romantic Drama 

Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan 

Studio: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures 

Music: Fred Frith 

Box Office: $22.5 million worldwide (Budget: $2.5 million) 

Rating: IMDb 8.1 / Rotten Tomatoes Critics 100% 

Awards: Silver Bear for Best Director (Berlin International Film Festival, 1995) 

Cast: Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Céline)

📖 Plot Summary

Jesse, an American in his early twenties, is traveling by train from Budapest to Vienna, where he plans to catch a flight home the next morning. Céline, a French student returning to Paris, sits nearby. When a couple argues loudly in their compartment, Jesse and Céline exchange glances—and a conversation quietly begins.

The talk flows easily, without effort or intention. As the train pulls into Vienna, Jesse makes an impulsive suggestion. He has nowhere to stay and plans to wander the city until morning. Instead of letting the moment pass, he asks Céline to join him, arguing that years from now, she might regret not saying yes.

She does.

From dusk until dawn, they walk through Vienna—through quiet streets, a cemetery, a small record store listening booth, a park at night, and finally a bridge as the sun begins to rise. There is no conventional plot: no obstacles to overcome, no dramatic twists, no misunderstandings engineered for tension.

They talk about past relationships, parents, religion, death, memory, time travel, and whether they believe in ghosts. Some conversations are profound, others trivial, but all of them feel unforced.

As morning approaches, reality returns. Jesse must catch his flight. Céline must board her train. They choose not to exchange phone numbers or addresses. Instead, they make a single promise: to meet again in six months, at the same place in Vienna—if it's meant to happen.

The film ends without certainty, leaving the future unresolved.

🌸 Key Themes

Conversation as the First Form of Love

Before Sunrise understands something deceptively simple: intimacy begins with listening. Not grand gestures or dramatic confessions, but the slow unfolding that happens when two people are genuinely curious about one another.

Jesse and Céline's conversations are not polished seductions. They interrupt each other. They disagree. They circle back to earlier ideas. But they keep talking—not because they are trying to impress, but because they want to understand.

The film suggests that intimacy isn't about agreement. It's about attention.

The Romance of Impermanence

The film's one-night structure creates urgency. Knowing that morning will end everything allows Jesse and Céline to be unusually honest. There is no future to protect, no image to maintain.

Richard Linklater suggests that temporary connections can feel more real than permanent ones. When something is fleeting, you notice details more carefully. You become fully present, because presence is all you have.

Before Sunrise quietly asks whether permanence is required for meaning—or whether brevity can make an experience more precious.

Youth, and the Freedom to Waste Time

This is unmistakably a young person's film. Jesse and Céline exist in a liminal space—past adolescence, not yet anchored by careers, families, or obligations.

They can afford to wander. To miss trains metaphorically. To spend an entire night talking without consequence.

The film doesn't romanticize this privilege, but it recognizes it. Their conversations aren't just romantic; they're existential. They are still becoming themselves.

What Lives Between the Words

What gives the film its emotional weight isn't only what is said, but what remains unspoken—the pauses, the glances, the hesitation before a touch.

Linklater and cinematographer Lee Daniel trust silence. The camera lingers on faces, allowing moments to breathe. Falling in love here isn't a single decision, but a series of small choices: to stay, to answer honestly, to risk vulnerability.

🎬 What Makes This Film Special

Richard Linklater's Vision

Before Sunrise was inspired by a real encounter Linklater had in 1989, when he spent a night walking and talking with a woman named Amy Lehrhaupt. They never saw each other again. In 2013, Linklater revealed that Lehrhaupt had died in a motorcycle accident before the film's release—a heartbreaking echo of the film's meditation on fleeting connection.

Working with screenwriter Kim Krizan—and later with uncredited contributions from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy—Linklater shaped a script that prioritized thought, rhythm, and authenticity over plot.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's Chemistry

The actors collaborated closely with Linklater, helping shape dialogue that feels lived-in rather than scripted. In 2016, Delpy revealed: "Ethan and I basically re-wrote all of it. The original screenplay wasn't very romantic. Richard hired us to bring that romance to the film."

Their chemistry is rooted not in performance, but in listening. They feel less like characters and more like two people genuinely discovering each other in real time.

Vienna as a Quiet Witness

Shot on location in Vienna in June 1994, the city becomes a silent third presence. Cobblestone streets, empty trams, and open bridges create a dreamlike atmosphere—beautiful, but never distracting.

Vienna doesn't frame their romance; it simply allows it to happen. The film's locations have since become pilgrimage sites for fans.

Critical Acclaim and Legacy

Before Sunrise premiered at Sundance in January 1995 and received immediate critical acclaim. Roger Ebert called it "so much like real life." The film holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Linklater won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin.

The film launched one of cinema's most celebrated trilogies. Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) followed nine years apart, allowing actors and characters to age in real time. All three films received widespread acclaim.

🌍 Where to Watch (2025)

Streaming (Subscription): Netflix (select regions: Australia, New Zealand, Turkey), HBO Max (Europe), Crave (Canada)

Rent/Buy: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Google Play, YouTube

Physical Media: Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and as part of The Criterion Collection's Before Trilogy box set

Note: Before Sunrise is part of The Before Trilogy, which continues with Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013). All three films were added to The Criterion Collection in 2017. The trilogy is considered one of cinema's greatest achievements in depicting love and time.

📝 Final Thoughts

Before Sunrise endures because it shows something rare: two people trying to understand each other without agenda.

Linklater resists melodrama and manufactured conflict. He trusts that connection—when it's genuine—is compelling enough on its own.

In an era shaped by swipes, algorithms, and curated selves, the film feels more relevant than ever. It reminds us that real connection still begins the same way it always has: through presence, curiosity, and the courage to keep talking.

Sometimes the most extraordinary thing two people can do is simply stay a little longer—and listen.

💭 Personal Reflection

True to its title, Before Sunrise exists in suspended time—before the day begins, before ordinary life resumes.

Nothing extraordinary happens. There is attraction, but no attempt to define it. No promises beyond what feels natural. Everything unfolds without forcing meaning.

Perhaps that is why the film can feel uneventful to some.

And yet, what lingers is the conversation itself.

Life, death, love—these topics aren't introduced deliberately, yet the words drift there naturally. On the surface, their exchange feels ordinary. Beneath it lies each person's way of seeing the world, and a quiet willingness to accept another's thoughts without judgment.

To think freely, to express those thoughts, and to recognize another's ideas exactly as they are—this kind of conversation leaves a quiet envy in its wake.

말이 서로를 이해하려는 순간, 그것이 관계가 된다.

(A reflection in my native Korean—because some truths about connection feel truer in the language of your heart.)

Perhaps Before Sunrise endures not because of anything that happens, but because it captures the moment when words offered in good faith become the relationship itself.

💬 Join the Conversation

Have you ever had a conversation that felt like Jesse and Céline's—one where time disappeared and you genuinely connected with someone you barely knew? What makes conversation feel effortless with some people and impossible with others? Share your thoughts below.

🎬 More from Cinematic Sanctuaries

If Before Sunrise resonated with your appreciation for genuine connection, explore:

• Serendipity – Believing in the unexplainable and trusting chance 
• When Harry Met Sally – Friendship, timing, and the slow build of intimacy
• Love Actually – Choosing to see love in all its imperfect forms 

Each film in our collection reminds us that healing comes in many forms—through family we choose, bonds we create, and the quiet courage to keep searching for home.

👤 About the Author

Young Lee has spent years quietly collecting and sharing films that offer comfort rather than answers—stories that value slow moments, ordinary lives, and unseen effort. As an everyday viewer, they believe cinema can remind us that slowness still has meaning in a fast-moving world.

Read more articles from this author on Cinematic Sanctuaries.