On Sunday 17 October, Star and Shadow will be screening the sequel to this film: Before Sunset (2004).

The film

“I have an, admittedly, insane idea...”

One brief, bold moment of courage follows a tentative conversation between young American Jesse (Ethan Hawke), and French student Celine (Julie Delpy), as their train grinds to a stop in Vienna. Jesse asks Celine to come and roam the city with him, for a night, before moving on, and her agreement hints that this casual meeting might have very profound consequences indeed.

As the pair wander through Vienna, meeting the city’s weird and wonderful denizens, the night turns increasingly romantic and unearthly. But as morning approaches the fantastical air surrounding their encounter begins to take on a darker side, a constant reminder of how easily such a meeting could never have taken place, and how quickly normal life could brush it to one side.

Before Sunrise charts the progress of one very fragile future-in-the-making, and will soundly shame anyone thinking of scurrying away from an opportunity.

There’s more...

Mercifully, those frantic to follow the pair’s story after the one night of Beyond Sunrise will not be left out in the cold, as the following Sunday (October 17th) will see Linklater’s critically acclaimed sequel Before Sunset shown at 7:30 p.m. Receiving even greater praise than its predecessor, it makes up the second half of a fascinating journey.

Reviews

“Before Sunrise is so much like real life - like a documentary with an invisible camera - that I found myself remembering real conversations I had experienced with more or less the same words.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“There’s [...] the exhilaration of making contact with a kindred spirit, of instant conversational intimacy between two strangers whose paths could lead them anywhere.” Janet Maslin, New York Times

“Before Sunrise is nothing short of movie magic, and the kind of film that deserves to be remembered one long year from now when 1996's Oscar nominations are handed out.” James Berardinelli, ReelReviews

“The charm—the midsummer enchantment—never feels forced; it steals up and wins you. A true romance.” Anthony Lane, The New Yorker