A landmark romantic conversation piece: intimate, funny, and emotionally precise, with Vienna becoming a living backdrop for two people falling into and out of possibility in real time.
94% ★★★★★ (1,868,115)
Before Sunrise
Where to watch: In Theaters
Movie · Drama · Romance · R
1995 · 1h 41m · ★ 94% (2M)
Can the greatest romance of your life last only one night?
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert
Overview
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Director
Richard Linklater
Production
Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction, Filmhaus Films
Cast
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl, Karl Bruckschwaiger, Tex Rubinowitz, Erni Mangold, Dominik Castell, Haymon Maria Buttinger, Harold Waiglein, Bilge Jeschim, Kurti, Hans Weingartner, Liese Lyon, Peter Ily Huemer, Otto Reiter, Hubert Fabian Kulterer, Branko Andrić 'Andrla', Constanze Schweiger, John Sloss
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark romantic conversation piece: intimate, funny, and emotionally precise, with Vienna becoming a living backdrop for two people falling into and out of possibility in real time.
Best for
dialogue-driven romances
slow-burn chemistry
walk-and-talk city stories
bittersweet first-love energy
naturalistic performances
Skip if
you want a plot-heavy romance
you dislike extended dialogue scenes
you prefer overt melodrama
you need a conventional ending
Overview
Before Sunrise is one of the great modern romance films because it trusts conversation, curiosity, and timing more than plot mechanics. The premise is simple, but the film turns a single night into a complete emotional journey, finding tension in glances, pauses, and the fear of saying too much or too little.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the balance between spontaneity and structure. The film feels effortless, yet every exchange reveals character, worldview, and vulnerability. Vienna is not just a backdrop; it becomes a temporary world where two strangers can imagine a different life, even if only for a few hours.
Bottom line
It’s tender without being sentimental and reflective without feeling academic. If you respond to romances that are built on talk, atmosphere, and the ache of impermanence, this is essential viewing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (4.5★) · 51104 likes
Damn I really wanted to see that play with the cow
👽hayley👽 (5★) · 32819 likes
my brain: "what people call "love" is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed" my heart: "LOVE IS WHEN JESSE AND CELINE ARE IN THE RECORD STORE LISTENING BOOTH AND THEY CANT STOP QUICKLY GLANCING AT EACH OTHER AND THEN SMILING AND YOU KNOW THEY SO BADLY WANT TO KISS BUT ARE TOO SHY AND FEEL THE OTHER MIGHT NOT LIKE THEM AS MUCH BUT THEY DO THEYRE BOTH ENCHANTED AND ENTRANCED EVEN THOUGH THEYVE ONLY BEEN SPEAKING
andrea🌹 (5★) · 26943 likes
ily - i love you ilysm - i love you so much dywtgsitlbsw - do you want to go see if that listening booth still works?
mary (5★) · 25130 likes
I don't think I've had a real conversation before
Stephanie (5★) · 22333 likes
The scene where they pretend to call their friends as a way to talk about their feelings and insecurities is one of the best scenes of all time. I smile and cry each and every damn time.