Before Sunrise

As I was not feeling well these past few days, I decided to stay in bed all day long reading and watching movies. I have not even gone to the gym for the past 4 days ... gosh! It dawned on me that I have not done this for the longest of time - my days are always filled with work, classes, projects and others. This is absolute nikmah :)

Apart from reading 2 books, I was re-watching this wonderful movie, Before Sunrise. I remembered loving it when I first watched the movie sometime in 1996, though many to whom I spoke had a different preference. I love it nonetheless - especially with the ever-talented Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy leading the small ensemble cast.

Before Sunrise is unlike a typical movie that you have watched - the plot is minimalist, since aside from walking and talking, not much happens. The tagline of the movie reads: "When love can come as a complete surprise." It is a passionate and intelligent romance between a young American (Jesse) and a French student (Celine). A chance encounter on the train incites intrigue, and Jesse provocatively suggests that Celine postpones her return to France and embarks instead on a spontaneous expedition to Vienna with him. In the course of their 14-hour relationship, the two share in their love for the unrehearsed and their appreciation for the unexpected as they explore in a powerful meeting of hearts and minds. Taking place over the course of only one night, their limited time together is always on their minds, and leads to their revealing more about themselves than they normally would, since both believe they will never see one another again.

The absolute beauty of Before Sunrise lies in its perfection as a simple, unadulterated love story - of two lives suddenly thrown together in the midst of reality, and the ensuing romantic experience that follows. Every individual at some time in life dreams of the connection that is portrayed in this film between Jesse and Celine, and few ever find it. Before Sunrise simply and elegantly demonstrates how the most fundamental passions of human emotion can envelope two complete strangers. The best aspect of this film is that the story itself is the most important element, unlike most movies we watch recently. The ending is both provocative and emotional - scenes of the night previously seen in darkness are now portrayed in lonely daylight as the sun rises and the story closes on these two characters. They both promise to meet again at the same place six months later, and with that promise, the movie ends. The movie was so well made that one never question if this could ever really happen in life, reality being so absolutely characterised in it.

In one of the captivating scene, Celine commented: "I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt."

Absolutely...