Before Sunrise (1995) ****1/2 [Before Triple Feature Pt. 1]

Well, I finally got around to watching Richard Linklater's nearly universally beloved Before trilogy. And I have to say they truly are great films. In particular, the hopeless romantic in me connected most with the first film, Before Sunrise (1995). 

Linklater, Hawke and Delpy seemingly effortlessly capture the fantasy of a single night's worth of discovery, city roaming, and conversation between two strangers who take a chance on, and fall in love with, each other. What appears to be improvisation is actually incredibly rehearsed and cynicism is kept to a minimum. It's like Roman Holiday (1953) (my review here) for Gen Xers minus the overt comedy and with more realism.

Before Sunrise is a really wonderful film that tugs at the heartstrings without being saccharine, with a perfect ending.

You can find my Richard Linklater Feature Films Ranked list here.