Showroom Spotlight: Before Sunrise 15

An exquisitely understated ode to the thrill of romantic possibility, the inaugural installment of the Before trilogy opens with a chance encounter between two solitary young strangers.

After they hit it off on a train bound for Vienna, the Paris university student Celine (Julie Delpy) and the scrappy American tourist Jesse (Ethan Hawke) impulsively decide to spend a day together before he returns to the U.S. the next morning.

As the pair roam the streets of the stately city, Richard Linklater’s tenderly observant gaze captures the uncertainty and intoxication of young love, from the first awkward stirrings of attraction to the hopeful promise that Celine and Jesse make upon their inevitable parting.

Showing alongside Before Sunset and Before Midnight as part of our Lovers, Slackers and Rockers: Richard Linklater mini-season.

This film was selected for Showroom Spotlight by Richard Rawson, Administrator, who will provide a short introduction to the film.