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Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Albert Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Andrea Eckert ... see more see more... , Peter Ily Huemer , John Sloss , Hanno Pöschl , Haymon Maria Buttinger , Erni Mangold , Rodolphe Pauly , Louise Lemoine Torres , Marianne Plasteig , Diabolo

Richard Linklater's third feature -- set, like his other works, over the course of one 24-hour period -- Before Sunrise is a sweet, intelligent romantic comedy filmed primarily in Austria. It stars Et... read more read more...han Hawke as Jesse, a young American travelling through Europe. On a train he meets Celine, a French student portrayed by Julie Delpy. Together they leave the train to begin exploring the city of Vienna, walking and talking into the wee hours of the night and slowly falling in love as the minutes before Jesse's return to the U.S. tick away. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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91% liked it

61,772 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Release Date: January 27, 1995

Keywords: romantic, date

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DVD Release Date: November 30, 1999

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Stats: 5,116 reviews

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Before Sunrise Before Sunrise before sunrise Celine e Jesse Before Sunrise Before Sunrise Before Sunrise Before Sunrise Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy in "Before Sunrise"
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Flixster Reviews (5,116)

  • Redlats
    April 15, 2012
    Redlats
    It is different. A movie that takes place over a day and night - just two strangers meeting each other on a train and finding out about each other before one of them has to fly back to America in the morning.
  • fb1033186916
    February 25, 2012
    fb1033186916
    Nothing else quite catches the true essence of romance like Before Sunrise did. Along with its witty dialogue and showcase of great chemistry between Delphy and Hawke, it captures the heart of the audience, giving its wholesome insights about love, the most general and vague topi... read morec one could take.
  • ironclad1609
    February 22, 2012
    ironclad1609
    The premise may sound a tad boring: two strangers meet on a train to Vienna and decide to spend the night there by wandering through the streets talking, before they part ways again. It is the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and their characters that makes this work... read more, after all. Their conversations range from mundane, interesting to philosophical, but they always feel real, even if sometimes a little pretentious. That's still a lot more entertaining than it sounds and in its best moments even feels as if you are having a very special date in a beautiful city yourself. So when the film closes with shots from the places the couple visited, now empty and abandoned, you can't help but feel you were there with them, for that unique and interesting day in a foreign city.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    October 11, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    if you don't like this, you've probably never been in love and if you love the movie, then you're a pretentious bastard.
  • stevenecarrier
    August 5, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    This film has everything I look for (and sometimes demand) from a film. A tiny masterpiece of writing, acting, storytelling, characters and directing. A heartfelt film about human nature, connection and a philosophical exploration of love. Gentle and haunting.
  • jamers2011
    July 30, 2011
    jamers2011
    Brilliant, brilliant film! I really liked Ethan Hawke in Training Day, so when I stumbled upon this film, I knew I wanted to check it out even though I had NEVER heard of it before. I absolutely loved it!

    This dialogue driven romance is close to perfection...you must see it! ... read moreBefore Sunrise is simply the story of a tourist and a French traveler who meet on a train, talk, and fall in love. Though it is simple and nothing more than a 100 minute conversation between two strangers, it's so much more!

    The script is absolutely perfect! The dialogue is smart, powerful, and real. Add to that the brilliant chemistry between Hawke and Julie Delpy and you have an excellent film that completely takes you in. You fall in love with the characters and believe everything they say.

    I cannot recommend this film enough!
  • wildaly14
    January 30, 2011
    wildaly14
    Must-see. This is what great romance movies are made of.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    January 15, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "No, then it's like some male fantasy. Meet a French girl on the train, fuck her, and never see her again."

    A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be t... read moreheir only night together.

    REVIEW

    'Before Sunrise' is an example of cinema at its purest, simplest and most sincere form. How can I start describing it? Shall I start with the dazzling locations? The beautiful score? The stupendous screenplay? The breathtaking dialogues? The vivacious cinematography? The terrific direction? The excellent performances? Linklater is clearly a very versatile director. The way he's put everything in this film together is outstanding. Even though I'm familiar with Europe, the way he portrays the locations makes me want to visit those places. Throughout the film we see Jesse and Celine walk through the streets of Vienna and Linklater wonderfully returns to the same places in the end and even though both the characters have left for their respective current destinations the one feels their essence as if walking down memory lane.

    The development of the bond between Celine and Jesse is shown in a very subtle form. We can easily see how they are falling in love by noticing the way they look at each other, the way they talk to each other and the way they touch each other. The dialogues are sheer magic. The exceptional combination of humour, philosophy, spontaneity and subtlety brings a uniqueness about its treatment and yet it feels fascinatingly familiar. A charismatic Ethan Hawke and luminous Julie Delpy deliver natural performances. There is a sizzling chemistry and it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that they were acting. I feel both these two extraordinary actors are criminally underrated.

    The soundtrack marvelously stays in tune with the film. The cinematography guides us through the city as we walk along with Celine and Jesse, participating as silent observers without them being aware.
  • SajinPA
    January 9, 2011
    SajinPA
    An amazing movie .Simple, honest and one of its kind(Along with its sequel).
  • ythelastman89
    January 6, 2011
    ythelastman89
    This is probably one of the most unique love stories ever put on screen, mostly because it's so honest and realistic. The complete dependence on the performances is an incredibly bold decision, which ultimately pays off. Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are amazing as a couple an... read mored giving equally strong performances as realistic characters. You can tell that a lot of the mannerisms are borrowed from real life, but never does it feel as though we are seeing two actors on screen. The way the story is told is extremely well done, it manages to be romantic without even trying to be. I love that there's no soundtrack or even that many shots in the movie. It focuses on the story and characters.

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Critic Reviews

Dan Jardine
January 17, 2010
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

the film asks us to consider the very nature and purpose of our existence in a fragmentary, superficial and transient universe. Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
August 16, 2009
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

Linklater hasn't just crafted a detached portrait of a unique couple: he's painting a masterful examination of human nature, of that relationship we all want, but too often sadly see slip away. Full Review

John A. Nesbit
February 9, 2007
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

Acting tour de force that feels exceptionally real

Phil Villarreal
June 16, 2006
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

Hawke and Delpy keep the tone not only afloat but mesmerizing. So natural are their performances that it seems impossible not to believe they truly are soulmates who are locked in a doomed, all-too-sh... Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 29, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Inspired by Godard's lyrical film-essays, Linklater revisits his unreleased debut (also set on a train), while paying tribute to Rohmer's cerebral moral fables. Though narrower in scope, this film is ... Full Review

Nick Schager
May 3, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Agreeably alluring. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
September 26, 2004
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

É como testemunhar duas pessoas se apaixonando uma pela outra em tempo real: algo simultaneamente mágico, comovente e de partir o coração.

Dennis Schwartz
August 16, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's the best pick up movie ever. Full Review

Rich Cline
July 11, 2004
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

While it's a bit awkward and self-indulgent, it also creates two extremely vivid characters and one of cinema's more believable romances. Full Review

Arthur Lazere
June 8, 2004
Arthur Lazere, culturevulture.net

While the couple get...philosophical in their courtship dance, 'Before Sunrise' maintains an awareness of their earnestness without itself putting on airs of profundity. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Celine: The only person I could really hurt is myself.
    • Celine: I'm the most harmless person. The only person I could really hurt is myself.
    • Celine: When you talked earlier about after a few years how a couple would begin to hate each other by anticipating their reactions or getting tired of their mannerisms-I think it would be the opposite for me. I think I can really fall in love when I know everything about someone-the way he's going to part his hair, which shirt he's going to wear that day, knowing the exact story he'd tell in a given situation. I'm sure that's when I know I'm really in love.
    • Jesse: People always talk about how love is this totally unselfish, giving thing, but if you think about it, there's nothing more selfish.
    • Jesse: OK, well this was my thought: 50,000 years ago, there are not even a million people on the planet. 10,000 years ago, there's, like, two million people on the planet. Now there's between five and six billion people on the planet, right? Now, if we all have our own, like, individual, unique soul, right, where do they all come from? You know, are modern souls only a fraction of the original souls? 'Cause if they are, that represents a 5,000 to 1 split of each soul in the last 50,000 years, which is, like, a blip in the Earth's time. You know, so at best we're like these tiny fractions of people, you know, walking... I mean, is that why we're so scattered? You know, is that why we're all so specialized?
    • Celine: Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?
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Before Sunrise Trivia

  • Name the 2004 sequel to the 1995 movie "Before Sunrise"?  Answer »
  • in this 1995 romantic drama a young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna which will probably their only night together....   Answer »
  • Which of these movies did Winona Ryder NOT appeared in?  Answer »
  • In the movie Before Sunrise, where do the two lead characters meet?  Answer »
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