Before Sunrise

Why do the most romantic movie scenes happen in awkward situations? We can look at the classic scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s where Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard embrace in the pouring rain. Not only are the two soaked so that water is literally in their eyes and cascading down their faces but they are also holding a cat between them. For anyone who has never had to deal with a wet cat it is not a pleasant experience, not only are they extraordinarily grumpy and enjoy using claws at this point they also have a very pungent odor. Yet because of the misery of the situation we find it all the more romantic that they are so in love with each other that they want nothing more than to kiss each other. They don’t even care about getting dry, warm, and putting the cat down.

This romantically awkward situation is embodied in the movie Before Sunrise when two complete strangers decide to stick together and enjoy Vienna. There is some crushing between the couple, Jesse and Celine, going on before their escapade, but it was nothing that could truly be called love. How strange and awkward it must feel to suddenly be left alone in a strange city with a strange person next to you. You know nothing about this person, only that they are going to be leaving for a different city the next day. But this situation that most people would never dare to put themselves in makes for a highly romantic escapade. The awkwardness causes them to talk more openly to fill the space that people are afraid to leave empty.

Jesse and Celine have this blazing passion for each other as they find that you can tell someone who knows nothing about you anything, especially when there is such a huge chance that you will never see them again. The other person has no expectations, no previously laid out judgments. Therefore, spending 24 hours with a complete stranger allows them to open up. The setting helped Jesse and Celine open up. The first major fight took place next to the river; it was like they were caught in the current of life. Another setting that was used to open up Jesse and Celine was when they find themselves in the close spaces. At these times they don’t speak as much and the sexual tension was emphasized. Their first kiss was in the box of a Ferris wheel and when they almost had sex they were in the closeness that comes from darkness. Overall, they were put awkward settings, from grave yards to strange ally ways that fueled a love that inspired poets.