Before Sunrise

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1:39

Before Sunrise

R

1995

1h 41m

Romance

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

On his way to Vienna, American Jesse meets Celine, a student returning to Paris. After long conversations forge a surprising connection between them, Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him in Vienna. Since his flight to the U.S. departs the next morning, and he has no money for lodging, they wander the city together, taking in the experiences of Vienna and each other. As the night progresses, their bond makes separating in the morning a difficult choice.

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Critics Consensus

Thought-provoking and beautifully filmed, Before Sunrise is an intelligent, unabashedly romantic look at modern love, led by marvelously natural performances from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

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John Wrathall

Sight & Sound

Nov 6

This is where the film’s charm lies, in the balance Linklater strikes between poetry and the everyday.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

01/31/2025

5/5

It is the lightness of this film which is still charming; Jesse and Céline are free from everything, free from work worries or family cares, but they are also free from the gravity of cause-and-effect, the world of consequences and responsibilities.

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

07/18/2022

The charm—the midsummer enchantment—never feels forced; it steals up and wins you. A true romance.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/20/2024

A+

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are incredible in this film. The chemistry they have in palpable and the energy is always flowing...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

03/19/2024

3/4

Utterly charming.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

12/05/2023

10/10

One of the truly great American films of the 1990s.

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Vixo S

@vixo_six 1d

Before Sunrise remains in my memory less as a sequence of events than as the feeling of being completely heard by another person. Richard Linklater builds the romance through patient movement, vulnerable conversation and the natural chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Their discussions about love, death and adulthood sometimes carry the certainty of youth, but that is part of the film’s honesty. Vienna becomes a temporary world where two strangers can reveal themselves without the weight of a shared past. Its beauty lies in understanding that a connection does not need to last forever to permanently change the meaning of a single night.

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Jay W

@RT52162311 2d

This movie has dialogue that is written so profoundly it could be poetry. But it is performed so naturally that it feels like it was improvised on the spot. The two leads have chemistry as if they had known each other for a lifetime, but at the same time just met for the first time. Nothing happened in the movie, but it was captivating from beginning to end. Goodbye.

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Johannes S

@RT64416087 Jun 27

Oh, the dream of having a love like this! Simple, yet it works so well.

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Tyler S.

@tmanstro May 25

Makes you remember the beauty of our early 20s years when we had no responsibilities.

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Remi B

@RT80250094 May 16

they really don't make movies like this anymore.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Apr 30

What a great start to this trilogy. A simple story about two strangers who meet and instantly connect. The dialogue was beautifully written and delivered by two tremendous actors. Tim Treakle

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Richard Linklater

Director

Ethan Hawke

Jesse

Julie Delpy

Celine

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Before Sunrise: Trailer 1

1:39

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Synopsis

On his way to Vienna, American Jesse meets Celine, a student returning to Paris. After long conversations forge a surprising connection between them, Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him in Vienna. Since his flight to the U.S. departs the next morning, and he has no money for lodging, they wander the city together, taking in the experiences of Vienna and each other. As the night progresses, their bond makes separating in the morning a difficult choice.

Director: Richard Linklater
Producer: Anne Walker-McBay
Screenwriter: Kim Krizan
Production Co: Detour Filmproduction, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround