Speaker A
Are you trying to say you want to kiss me?
An insightful analysis of 'Before Sunrise' highlighting realistic romance through subtle tension and authentic dialogue.
Key Takeaways
- Romance can be portrayed realistically through subtle tension and natural dialogue.
- First encounters often involve awkwardness, miscommunication, and gradual emotional connection.
- Love is complex and not always immediate or dramatic, as shown by Jesse and Celine's interaction.
- Body language and small gestures are crucial in conveying romantic progression.
- The film 'Before Sunrise' challenges typical romantic film tropes, offering a fresh perspective.
Summary
- The video analyzes the film 'Before Sunrise' focusing on its realistic portrayal of romance.
- It emphasizes the slow, natural progression of a first encounter without typical romantic clichés.
- The film is praised for its heavy dialogue that maintains tension without conflict.
- Characters Jesse and Celine showcase awkwardness, miscommunication, and gradual emotional intimacy.
- The setting in Vienna and the time constraint add to the authenticity and urgency of their interaction.
- Dialogue and body language reveal the characters' vulnerabilities and hesitations about emotional attachment.
- The video highlights the absence of love at first sight and the importance of getting to know someone deeply.
- It discusses how the film avoids fantasy and instead reflects real-life dating dynamics and uncertainties.
- The first kiss marks a pivotal shift in their relationship, breaking down initial barriers.
- The video concludes that the film’s subtlety and realism make it a favorite and a unique take on romance.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker B
Yeah.
Speaker C
31 minutes.
Speaker C
31 long, painstaking minutes.
Speaker C
That's how long it takes to get here.
Speaker C
Now, I don't mean 31 minutes of boredom.
Speaker C
In fact, despite being a film so heavy in dialogue,
Speaker B
Drink, drink, pick up.
Speaker A
What?
Speaker B
Pick up the phone.
Speaker A
Uh, hello.
Speaker C
It's quite the opposite.
Speaker C
This film is a rollercoaster of subtle tension, yet there's almost no conflict.
Speaker C
So, how can that be? It's a romance film.
Speaker C
These are supposed to be whirlwinds of intense emotion.
Speaker D
What do you want?
Speaker E
It's not that simple.
Speaker D
What do you want?
Speaker C
They're supposed to be creatively witty dialogue.
Speaker F
Does he make you laugh?
Speaker G
He doesn't make me cry.
Speaker C
There's supposed to be either a tragic falling out or a heartfelt resolution.
Speaker H
And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me.
Speaker I
Okay.
Speaker C
But it's none of that.
Speaker C
In fact, all of what this film isn't is exactly what makes it one of my favorite films of all time.
Speaker A
One of the best summers of my life.
Speaker A
Summer of 1994 in Vienna with Julie Delpy.
Speaker B
I think I can really fall in love when I know everything about someone.
Speaker C
So, Before Sunrise is labeled as a romantic drama, and it is.
Speaker C
However, what you don't expect is just how accurately it reflects the actual progression of a first encounter.
Speaker B
Jesse.
Speaker A
Celine.
Speaker B
No.
Speaker A
Jesse.
Speaker B
I'm Celine.
Speaker C
I'm sure we've all stood in line at the airport or in the grocery store and thought about having a meet cute moment with a person nearby.
Speaker C
Films, especially romantic ones, give us this fantasy of what life and dating is going to be like.
Speaker C
But this film doesn't really embellish, despite it being the perfect setting to do so.
Speaker C
They're in an entirely different country and far away from their respective homes.
Speaker B
You're American?
Speaker A
Yeah.
Speaker B
Are you sure?
Speaker A
Yeah.
Speaker C
They're both young, attractive, and well aware that whatever happens will be lost to time.
Speaker C
Yet, there's no love at first sight moment here, even their first encounter is a miscommunication.
Speaker A
Do you have any idea what they were arguing about?
Speaker A
Do you speak English?
Speaker B
Yeah.
Speaker B
No.
Speaker B
I'm sorry, my German is not very good.
Speaker C
Jesse, feeling like he's already dropped the ball on the opening, turns away.
Speaker C
But Celine follows with her own little nudge.
Speaker B
Have you ever heard that as couples get older, they lose their ability to hear each other?
Speaker C
This is essentially his green light to continue the conversation, and so they would.
Speaker A
Nature's way of allowing couples to grow old together without killing each other.
Speaker C
There's no sharp and witty exchange where they both immediately fall head over heels.
Speaker C
The tense body language and anxious laughter suggests that they're still trying to get a feel for one another.
Speaker C
And so, they play it safe.
Speaker B
My class starts next week.
Speaker A
Oh, you're still in school? Where do you go?
Speaker B
Yeah, La Sorbonne, you know?
Speaker A
Yeah, sure.
Speaker C
They're aware of how fragile an initial exchange can be.
Speaker C
There's no off-color jokes, no forward flirting, just softball questions meant to ease the tension and slowly get to know one another.
Speaker A
Are you coming from Budapest?
Speaker B
Yeah, I was visiting my grandmother.
Speaker A
Oh, how is she?
Speaker B
She's okay.
Speaker A
She's all right?
Speaker B
She's fine.
Speaker C
As this tension eases, the conversation deepens and they grow familiar enough to want to spend the day together.
Speaker A
So listen, here's the deal, this is what we should do, you should get off the train with me here in Vienna and come check out the town.
Speaker B
What?
Speaker A
Come on, it'll be fun.
Speaker C
But this was just the first exchange.
Speaker C
There's no guarantee that they won't lose interest throughout the day.
Speaker C
This looming anxiety is noticed almost immediately after they enter the city.
Speaker B
This is kind of weird.
Speaker A
This is kind of weird, isn't it?
Speaker A
I mean, it's a little awkward.
Speaker C
A sort of what now moment that happens from a clear lack of planning.
Speaker A
What would we do?
Speaker A
Um, I don't know.
Speaker C
After all, these characters are both 23, at an age where naivety meets adventure.
Speaker C
They're still searching for who they are, still seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, still drawn to the appeal of what could be, if only for an evening.
Speaker C
The dialogue makes it feel like they're both constantly aware that tomorrow they'll most likely never see each other again.
Speaker B
Describe for me your first sexual feelings towards a person.
Speaker A
My first sexual feelings, oh my god.
Speaker C
The emotional barriers that would typically shield them from either the disappointment of rejection or wasted time are gone.
Speaker C
There's essentially no risk here.
Speaker B
Have you ever been in love?
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker A
Next question.
Speaker C
Ones that, at times, even lead to disagreement.
Speaker B
No, no, after I went into such private details about my first sexual feelings.
Speaker A
I know, but those are two very different questions. I mean, what if I asked you about love?
Speaker B
I would have lied, but at least, you know, I would have made up a great story.
Speaker A
I mean, love is a complex issue, you know.
Speaker C
Nothing crazy, after all, they are still technically strangers.
Speaker C
In fact, it's interesting just how different these two people are, they come from vastly different backgrounds, friend groups, lifestyles.
Speaker C
Yet, none of this seems to matter.
Speaker C
They don't have to accommodate anything because for them, there is no tomorrow.
Speaker A
This is just people, these romantic projections they put on everything, you know, it's not based in any kind of reality.
Speaker C
So, you're probably wondering, why continue if it's just going to end?
Speaker C
But it's easy to say that from the outside looking in.
Speaker C
Remember, these are two people who are also clinging to a fantasized perception of love.
Speaker J
You are an adventurer, a seeker.
Speaker C
Aside from the time constraint, this is a best-case scenario situation, and despite their quirks and awkwardness, they try to make it work.
Speaker C
Even teasing the idea of something long-term during these emotional highs.
Speaker B
You can answer.
Speaker A
Yes, I'll answer.
Speaker B
Uh, what's the problem for you?
Speaker A
You, probably.
Speaker B
What?
Speaker C
As the viewer, you can't help but root for them, we're simultaneously falling for the same fantasy, one that we know deep down isn't sustainable.
Speaker C
But it's not just the dialogue that I find really appealing.
Speaker C
Most of the tells are in the body language, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver a masterclass in subtle expression.
Speaker C
Throughout the film, there's this manic eagerness.
Speaker C
It's almost like they're trying to pack as much interaction and emotional intimacy as they can through either their stories or their shared trauma.
Speaker A
I mean, my parents are just these two people who didn't like each other very much, who decided to get married and have a kid, and they try their best to be nice to me.
Speaker B
I have this strange feeling that I'm this very old woman laying down about to die, you know, that my life is just memories of something.
Speaker A
I always think that I'm still this 13-year-old boy, who doesn't really know how to be an adult, pretending to live my life, taking notes for when I'll, you know, really have to do it.
Speaker C
The more they interact, the more they realize that they want more out of this evening than what their circumstances allow.
Speaker B
What would you be doing?
Speaker A
I'd probably be hanging around the airport, reading old magazines, crying in my coffee because you didn't come with me.
Speaker B
Oh.
Speaker C
Both of these characters are incredibly eager to cross into first base, yet it absolutely terrifies them, they know that for them, crossing this boundary will sink them further into emotional attachment, potentially ruining what could have been a good thing.
Speaker C
We notice this in the record store scene, as the music plays, Jesse and Celine avoid prolonged eye contact, they don't even talk, yet the small awkward smirks and heavy breathing will tell you that crossing this boundary is almost inevitable.
Speaker C
And so, 31 minutes in, they would.
Speaker C
But in doing so, you get a completely different shift in dynamic.
Speaker B
But I just think it's an healthy process to rebel against everything that came before.
Speaker C
Both of them wanted the assurance that came with a first kiss, but neither one had wanted to overstep the other's boundaries, creating a buildup that eventually couldn't be ignored.
Speaker C
However, once crossed, all of that initial tension began to melt away, the PDA begins to flow.
Speaker B
Ow.
Speaker C
And both characters ease into their more natural selves.
Speaker B
I'm so glad because no one knows I'm here and I don't know anyone that knows you that would tell me all the bad things you've done.
Speaker C
With this guard down, you see a more assertive back and forth.
Speaker B
I'd probably gotten off the train in Salzburg with someone else.
Speaker A
Oh, yeah?
Speaker A
Oh, I see, so I'm just that dumb American momentarily decorating your blank canvas.
Speaker C
This carefree atmosphere leads them to open up to one another more than they'd ever done before.
Speaker A
Sometimes I dream about being a good father and a good husband.
Speaker A
But then other times, it seems silly, like it would ruin my whole life.
Speaker C
To offset their dizzying interest, they need to periodically remind themselves that this is still just temporary.
Speaker A
What's so cool is that this whole evening, all our time together, shouldn't officially be happening.
Speaker C
Yet, each time they do, their fantasy begins to conflict more with reality.
Speaker A
You know, I mean, I could come back here.
Speaker A
I mean,
Speaker B
What?
Speaker B
No, let's just be rational adults about this.
Speaker A
You know, we'll never see each other again.
Speaker B
What do you think?
Speaker C
This is exactly what they'd feared, the looming stress of a painful goodbye creates more somber exchanges.
Speaker B
You couldn't possibly know why a night like this is so important to my life right now, but it is.
Speaker C
They become more focused on humoring what if scenarios and basking in each other's company.
Speaker A
Let's say that you and I were together all the time, you'd start to hate a lot of my mannerisms.
Speaker C
One final cope before the inevitable has to happen.
Speaker A
I don't know, we're back in real time.
Speaker B
I know, I hate that.
Speaker C
And so, it would, but not without a euphoric last-ditch attempt to salvage what's left.
Speaker B
Maybe we should meet here in five years or something.
Speaker A
All right, all right, five years.
Speaker A
Five years, that's a long time.
Speaker B
It's awful, it's like a sociological experiment.
Speaker C
In the closing moments, we see final shots of the city, but without the two characters we've been invested in throughout the entire film.
Speaker C
All of the eagerness is washed away, and what initially felt like a place filled with the potential for something great, just feels really empty.
Speaker C
Before Sunrise is the perfect depiction of a honeymoon phase.
Speaker C
High energy, high intimacy, and a glamorized perception of what could be, so long as you're willing to overlook everything that says it can't.
Topics:Before Sunriseromantic dramarealistic romancefirst encountersubtle tensiondialogue analysisJesse and CelineViennafilm analysisRenzy
