Before Sunrise (15)

★★★★★ Not a romcom, not a romantic drama, but just … a romance, a brief encounter on a train without heartache, a strange and wonderful moment-by-moment miracle that never seems cloying or absurd. Richard Linklater’s film from 1995 is now re-released for its 30th anniversary, a stretch of time that gives us a chance to ponder the characters’ time-travel musings about their future selves. ~ The Guardian.

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Revisit the first film in Richard Linklater’s beloved Before Trilogy, and the first chapter in Jesse and Céline’s story from 1995, to celebrate its 30th anniversary. 

Sorbonne student Céline meets American tourist Jesse on a train from Budapest to Paris. She’s on her way back to university; he’s soon to return home.

As they approach Vienna, Jesse convinces Céline to get off the train with him and spend 14 hours wandering the city until his flight is due to leave. They walk and talk, and their engaging conversation develops into a touching romance against the splendours of Vienna.

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★★★★ When American slacker Ethan Hawke meets French student Julie Delpy on a train to Vienna, the romantic sparks fly as they spend one eventful night together in director Richard Linklater's exhilarating drama. ~ Radio Times.

★★★★★ Linklater’s brief encounter defies romantic convention. Undistracted by smartphones in 1995, Hawke and Delpy talk away one night in Vienna without resolution but with huge charm. ~ The Guardian.

★★★★ Too intelligent to be soppy and too damn good to be ignored. While the loose, talkative style may not settle well with those of a more wham-bam persuasion, this most natural of love stories succeeds in feeding the noggin as well as warming the cockles. ~ Empire.