'you're both stars. don't forget. when the universe exploded billions of years ago they formed everything that is this world. everything we know is stardust. so don't forget, you are stardust."
the first time i became familiar with before sunrise was when i was 12 years old, doing one of my guilty pleasures: personality quizzes. my results for this particular one, a character analysis quiz, was celine from before sunrise: a 99% match. now it took several more years before i came close to watching it. it was on a weekend back in february when i was still casually hooking up with a guy from my university. i knew, while i stared at the ceiling and tried to ignore his presence, that this was a film i wanted to watch alone. so as a normal person does, i pretended to sleep so he would turn it off. well, people on my blog, last night was finally the night i not only watched it to its full, but also decided to write a review of sorts. a jack of all trades or a girl with many pens, one could not say!
the film's first scene opens on a train, where celine (played by the beautiful and talented julie delpy) is trying to read her novel but is repeatedly interrupted by a couple arguing in german. she moves to switch seats and serendipitously meets jesse (played by ethan hawke). i found this interaction extremely interesting as the whole film centers on the revolving theme of communication and intentional connection found through conversation. through the opening scene, we as viewers acknowledge the fact that while there are people in committed relationships that have known each other through an assumed long period of time, they still fail to communicate and connect on a deeper level.
of course to juxtapose this notion, we have celine and jesse who demonstrate even a brief meeting can forge a deep connection. the two share the novels they are currently reading, with celine reading a collection of short stories containing: madame edwarda, le mort, and histoire de l'oeil while jesse holds up all i need is love. now, without even speaking, linklater implicitly characterizes both celine and jesse through their literary choices. as the film progresses, celine demonstrates an innate curiosity of the world through a cynical perspective. she exudes a very fluid way of thinking, artfully articulating her thoughts and musings in a way that feels innately confessional. these thoughts often circle around her preoccupations with death and a quite neurotic way of thinking. on the other hand, jesse demonstrates a naive way of thinking, characterized by his often boyish remarks and romantic notions. his novel serves as the romantic lens in which he views life which is further established in the ferris wheel scene.
both delpy and hawke are masterful in their presentation of the subtleties playing these two very nuanced and contemplative characters. their chemistry is undeniable and the dialogue is natural and subtle- it very much feels like viewers are riding right alongside them on that train to vienna. if you told me that i was watching a home video and this was not actually a film directed by THE great richard linklater, i would have believed you. the way before sunrise is filmed in long continuous takes is absolutely beautiful. the micro-expressions of both characters is enjoyable and reflective to observe as each respond to one another with few to no words but are somehow able to perceptibly understand each other.
the dialogue is intimate and confessional (unlike a tarantino film...) and artfully reveals details about the characters. it is implicitly shown that celine is passionate and expressive about her political and feminist beliefs and jesse is quietly introspective on the way of life and its mundanities. this scene is truly so intimate and beautiful to watch- the way jesse and celine move with each other and against each other so shyly, like they are afraid to break the moment or scare the other away. the listening booth might be one of my favourite scenes in the whole film. its simplicity is so intimate and peaceful, with jesse and celine listening to a love song in a record store found along their meandering in vienna. the way the actors portray the beginning of falling in love, with its giddiness and fear all wrapped up in sidelong glances and soft smiles, is absolutely formidable. no words were spoken but everything was said. the ferris wheel scene illustrates jesse's romantic tendencies while he explains how romantic this moment is. celine, in her usual celine fashion, puts her arms around jesse and asks if he wants to kiss her. the way linklater characterizes the two through small interactions is exceptional. through this we see jesse's boyishness alluded to in the train scene, and celine's assertion and intuition and a more realist way of living. the best way to describe their first kiss is simply touching souls.
the palm reader scene is at the top of my favourite scenes. the palm reader intuitively reads celine from her dreams of becoming a strong "icon of womanhood" (as said later in the film), and her need to find peace within herself if she wants to find genuine connection. to jesse she gives a brief remark on him being a traveler and playfully sys "you're trying to find your way... you will be alright." it is evident this did not land well on jesse and his jealousy and insecurity come out. while celine laughs at his mocking, she looks uncomfortable and contemplates what the woman said thoughtfully. through this, her belief in romance, and magic, and the true meaning of human connection are cemented and we see jesse's cynicism.
the film only lightly touches on the topic of religiosity which was a bit jarring considering the introspetive nature of both characters and one of the first conversations in which they discussed the topic of reincarnation. i thought this would be foreshadowing for a religious lens that would later be utilized to further their beliefs on life, but no. it is hardly touched. we get mixed messages about the religion of each character. they both stated they believed in reincarnation but in the church scene, celine says she rejects most of the religious thing. her perhaps most famous line (also hinted at in olivia rodrigo's 'stupid song', my favourite on her new album), "if there's any kind of God, it wouldn't be in any of us, not you, not me, but just this little space in between. if there's any magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something." this struck a chord with me and really got me thinking. while again, it's indicated celine has no expressed religion, it does reflect on her philosophy of the true meaning of human connection, its own form of earthly magic and an inherent almost reverence for what can be shared between two people.
the poet scene further adds to the dreamlike setting linklater places viewers within. as a poet myself, i admire how writers are able to think creatively on the spot like that and i have a special appreciation for street poets. i also had a visible reaction similar to celine when jesse mocks the poet saying he probably wrote it in advance. at this point in the film, jesse was seriously pissing me off with his pseudo-intellectual remarks and boyish 'charm". that charm ain't charming.
the fake phone call scene, perhaps one of the most famous and memorable in the whole film, in every cinephile's discourse (naturally and rightfully so). the two characters play a game in which they pretend to talk on the phone to one of their friends from back home about one another. this allows them to be completely transparent about their feeling and fears for each other and is so beautiful in its simplicity. the morning after their marvellous and dream-like night, they are back in the real world and the magic from the night before evaporates into the realism of what is going to happen. i was happy to see that finally a movie doesn't fall into the typical disney happily-ever-after but instead remains ambiguous and open to the viewers interpretation. now, i'm going to pretend the next two sequels don't exist because i know that they spoil the characterization that the first movie successfully fleshes out. i also am aware that they ruin the magic of the first movie and i'd rather live in ignorant bliss that the two lovers may or may not meet up at a later date, and instead choose to enjoy watching the beautifully intimate night they shared that one summer in vienna.
while i enjoy before sunrise for its dreamy quality and the slow meandering of two individuals slowly falling in love, i do want to critically remark upon it. while i do believe it's possible to fall in love with someone in this fashion with the sharing of beliefs, ideology, and introspective notions, i also think that it was both a deep and completely surface-level love at the same time. the two intentionally shared bits of their lives and their psyche together but is the spiritual understanding of one another enough to fall in love? i don't believe so. i think that time also plays a hand and the two never really got much of that, only 14 hours in vienna. the two only exist in this dreamy state of a small snippet of life. they are complete strangers and there is no pressure of under-sharing or oversharing; they know the possibility of them meeting again is close to none. so therefore, there is this fantastical illusion of a soulful connection that is truly just romanticized naivety.
No comments:
Post a Comment