Of sunrises and sunsets

Last night, against my will, I watched the 1995 movie Before Sunrise. Quite to my surprise, I didn’t mind the movie at all! While I was skeptical at first, and didn’t actually look at the screen while the movie was playing, I continued to listen to the dialogue. Essentially, that’s what this movie is. A dialogue between an American and Frenchwoman who meet on a train heading from Budapest to Paris. They hit it off and decide to spend a day in Vienna from where the American will be flying back to the US the next day, while she will continue on her way to Paris.

My friend raved about the movie and so do some of the reviews on IMDb but I think they go a touch overboard. Many praised the screenplay. I thought it was quite cliched and trite. The story? Mush. The end? Atypical but not surprising. So why did I like the movie then? I don’t really know, the whole is more than the sum of its parts, I guess. Maybe I was in a funny mood last night and this movie appealed to my particular mood. I don’t really know. I do think the movie is worth watching though.

A sequel was made, called Before Sunset. My friend has laid his grubby paws on a copy of that too and I am sure I will be made to watch that one soon. Although I guess I may not have to be coerced this time! 🙂