ON APRIL 11, 2025 / BY EDITORS GEORGE DAVEY & SHIBRA KHAN / LEAVE A COMMENT

Every year, The Brunel Writer Prize is awarded to the student with the highest graded article submission for the Creative Industries module on Brunel University’s Creative Writing Programme. George Davey was a runner-up for The Brunel Writer Prize 2025 with his review of Before Sunrise. SPOILER WARNING.

British Film Institute – Before Sunrise ©

There are Romance films. 

There are Character Studies.

And then there’s Before Sunrise — which is, without debate (or much debate) the greatest character-centred Romance of the 20th Century. 

When Before Sunrise premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1995, few could have predicted the momentous ripples it would send trickling through cinema. It made the shocking revelation that a Romance didn’t need any of the following: lovers who are complete opposites, a host of friends like Mamma Mia’s Rosie and Tanya to provide comic relief, and (most importantly) an overly dramatic misunderstanding the likes of which seen in Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember (1957). 

Cinefilosofficial – Before Sunrise ©

Directed by Richard Linklater, Before Sunrise explores a chance encounter between two young strangers, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy), who wander the cobbled streets of Vienna talking about everything under the sun (and moon). The film sticks its middle finger up at “traditional” romance narratives and focuses on the raw, unfiltered conversations Jesse and Céline share in the space of a day and night. 

As the 30th-anniversary approaches, it’s time to shout from the rooftops about Linklater’s intimate attention to character, dialogue, and the fleeting nature of human connection, because at its heart, Before Sunrise is a film about conversation. The plot is simple: Jesse, an American travelling Europe, meets Céline, a French student, on a train. They strike up a conversation that leads to Jesse convincing Céline to disembark with him in Vienna, where they have only hours before his flight back to the United States. This limited time frame provides the structure for their relationship to unfold, lending their dialogue an urgency that feels bittersweet and gripping. 

Before Sunrise is an unapologetic commitment to character-driven storytelling. There is no sweeping melodrama, no absurd misunderstandings, no artificial obstacles. Instead, the film captures the beauty of two people discovering each other in real-time. Jesse and Céline are not idealised lovers but fully realised individuals with flaws and insecurities. Hawke and Delpy’s performances are honest to the point of feeling improvised, their chemistry palpable without ever feeling forced. The dialogue, co-written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, is the film’s chicken soup. The conversations between Jesse and Céline are vulnerable and range from musings on love and death to the absurdities of modern life. Every exchange uncovers another layer of their personalities, revealing their dreams, hopes, and fears. Crucially, the film resists the temptation to provide answers to the questions the characters pose. Instead, it revels in ambiguity, mirroring the uncertainty of life itself.

The Cinematheque – Before Sunrise ©

What makes Before Sunrise timeless is its relatability and nostalgia,  as most viewers can recall a moment in their lives when a fleeting connection felt profound and life-changing (hopefully). The knowledge that Jesse and Céline’s time is finite heightens the poignancy of their every interaction. The ending, in which they part ways without exchanging contact information, is the glacé cherry atop the perfect cake because it leaves their story open-ended and allows viewers to project their dreams and fears onto the narrative.

Looking back after three decades, the film’s legacy is profound. It challenged the conventions of The Romance (capital T, capital R), proving that authenticity and subtlety can resonate more deeply than grand gestures, formulaic plots, and the  “opposites attract” trope.  It inspired a generation of filmmakers to explore character-driven romances, and were it not for Before Sunrise, we may never have seen the likes of Blue Jay (2016) or Lost in Translation (2003).  

Before Sunrise is an Olympic torch of authenticity, its simplicity is its strength, and its characters remain as captivating today as they were in 1995. As we celebrate three decades of this cinematic masterpiece, let’s raise a glass and make the boldest statement in the world of cinema since Darth Vader’s reveal in The Empire Strikes Back — Before Sunrise is the greatest Romance of all time.

Vogue – Before Sunrise ©

George Davey is a British writer based in London. His poetry and prose have appeared in The Horror Tree, Acumen Literary Journal, Phi Magazine, and Anomaly Poetry. Alongside his own writing, George performs as a poet at events across the city. When he’s not writing, he immerses himself in the surreal worlds of Haruki Murakami novels. Stay updated on his latest work by following him on Instagram @ge0rgedavey