A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.And here's the trailer:
What a lovely film! I really really enjoyed it. The movie isn't a typical story in the sense of it having a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's really just a day in the life of these two characters. Jesse(Ethan Hawke) is an American tourist traveling through Europe and Celine (Julie Delpy) is a French student returning to Paris after a trip to Budapest. They meet by chance on a train and after hitting it off Jesse suggests that they spend the rest of the day together. His flight back to the states leaves the next morning and without enough money for a hotel he planned on exploring Vienna until it's time for him to go. Celine agrees and they get off the train in Vienna together.They spend the day exploring Vienna and talking about life and love. They share stories from their backgrounds and discuss all kinds of topics. Eventually they run out of time and Jesse must catch his flight and Celine continues home.
Not much happens in this movie beyond the two characters talking and walking around. In a lesser film this would immediately bore me and I would never get through it. I never felt that way here. The combination of strong writing and great performances from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy kept me involved at all times. Jesse and Celine feel like real people. They way they talked and interacted with each other was so genuine that I felt like I was spying on real people. I could imagine walking down a street in Vienna or sitting at a cafe and overhearing them having these conversations. And the conversations they have are great. All their dialogue felt very natural and they managed to have discussions about love and relationships without ever falling into speaking in cliches. Hawke and Delpy have great chemistry and you never question how these two could fall for each other. The movie does a great job of capturing that feeling when you meet somebody and are immediately drawn to them. There's this wonderful scene where Jesse and Celine are in a record store and they decide to listen to a record in the listening booth. They squeeze into this tiny booth and listen to the music with out saying a word. They both quietly steal glances at the other never catching each others eye. It's such a genuinely sweet moment and very true to life. I couldn't help but smile.
The film is a beautiful portrait of these two people making an amazing connection in spite of the fact that they only have one day together and may never see each other again. Personally I'm a sucker for super romantic stories so I really really loved this movie. Jesse and Celine have this amazingly romantic night wandering Vienna and taking in all its beauty. They are both such likeable characters and their connection feels so real that you can't help but be swept up in their little journey. If you're a fan of romantic movies you'll love this movie, especially if you're tired of formulaic romantic comedies. And even if you're not a big fan of romantic movies I think the movie has enough to say about life and love and is a great little slice of life that you'll still enjoy it.
Well I think my train is leaving.
That's my cue.
Jose
