Delpy outshines Hawke in beguiling `Sunrise'

Special to The Journal

THE PASSIONATE brief encounter between a man and woman is not new to movies but often suffers from actors who lack the proper chemistry, or from stories too much in a hurry to give audiences a chance to really know and understand the characters.

Happily, this is not the case with "Before Sunrise," a beguiling and intelligent comedy romance that is a radical departure from the usual boy-meets-girl formula.

Director Richard Linklater, whose "slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" had addressed pessimism and alienation among the youth and 20s set, displays his romantic side with unexpected sensitivity. Even so, his film has certain strings attached that could intimidate those who are unprepared for the filmmaker's casual pace and verbosity.

Both Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet on a train passing through Vienna, he having just been dumped by his girlfriend, she returning to her home in Paris.

Admittedly, both are somewhat idyllic versions of the two sexes: Jesse is the sensitive and good-looking American coffeehouse philosopher, while Celine epitomizes the beautiful and intelligent European woman many American men dream of meeting overseas.

The two draw us in from the outset not simply because of their charm but because their conversations are believable enough to appear spontaneous.

Jesse convinces Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna before he catches a flight back to the US the next morning, and we follow the couple as they tour the architectural jewel, each exquisite location revealing a different facet of their souls as their attraction to each other intensifies.

Few intellectual topics escape the couple's scrutiny, giving "Before Sunrise" more of a "My Dinner with Andre" feel than a "Roman Holiday" one, and audience tastes will vary as to at which point in the film the banter and theorizing becomes exhausting.

Where the movie suffers most is in its final stretch, when Linklater suddenly turns coy and races through what ought to be the highlight of the story: Jesse and Celine consummating their brief but intimate relationship.

Hawke, who is still in need of some shampoo and conditioner, is unaffected and believable as the emotionally uncentered foreigner, but it is the radiant Delpy who leaves an indelible mark in this disarmingly honest ensemble piece.

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke play a couple who meet on a train in Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise."

Cast and Credits

Before Sunrise *** Cast: Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Julie Delpy as Celine.

Behind the Scenes: Richard Linklater, director; Anne Walker-McBay, producer; Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan, writers; Lee Daniel, cinematographer.

Rating: R (language)

Copyright 1995
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