Before Sunrise

The cornerstone of director Richard Linklater’s career‑long exploration of cinematic time, part one of this celebrated romance captures a relationship as it begins, begins again, deepens, and strains over the course of almost two decades.

Chronicling the love of Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), from their first meeting as idealistic twentysomethings to the disillusionment they face together in middle age, the 'Before' trilogy also serves as a document of a boundary-pushing and extraordinarily intimate collaboration between director and actors, as Delpy and Hawke imbue their characters with a sense of lived-in experience, and age on-screen along with them.

Attuned to the sweeping grandeur of time’s passage as well as the evanescence of individual moments, the Before films chart the progress of romantic destiny as it navigates the vicissitudes of ordinary life.

Here is the first in the trilogy, Before Sunrise: a smartly observed tale of young people at a crossroads. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy play twentysomethings who meet on a train in Europe, sense a connection and explore after-hours Vienna together. The people, places and allure of the city become their sudden itineraries. Love is their destination. On the way there's the mutual sharing of hopes, jokes, dreams, worry and wonder. It's a day to linger in their memories.

See all the Before trilogy at the Electric Palace:

This is part 1 of Richard Linklater's Before trilogy. You can watch all the films as standalone movies with us, but you'll get more out of watching all three! Book now for:

Before Sunrise (part 1): Thursday 15 February, 7.30pm

Before Sunset (part 2): Saturday 16 March, 7.30pm

Before Midnight (part 3): Thursday 18 April, 7.30pm

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