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On a mid-September night, hordes of Toronto-dwelling 20-somethings made the trek downtown to watch the free outdoor screening of Before Sunrise at TIFF50. Amassing over a million watches on Letterboxd and movie reviews still being written to this day, it is amazing how this 30 year old movie has managed to grasp the hearts of the young generation. Instead of fading into obscurity, it seems as though this film is on the rise in terms of popularity amongst young people. In today’s oversaturated market of seemingly endless amounts of movies and TV shows, how did Before Sunrise stand the test of time and retain its relevance?
What young people want: Connection
One of the biggest problems the young generation faces is isolation, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the Internet. Being quarantined for months on end during the most formative years of our lives has stunted our ability to communicate, and with the instant connection brought on by social media and the Internet, we have sacrificed quality for speed, making it difficult to form meaningful relationships.
This issue manifests in multiple ways: the TikToks of Gen Z complaining about how difficult it is to make friends, from high school cafeterias to post-grad social networks. How college students get on dating apps in search of a special someone, only to be let down by the surface-level shallowness that it has to offer.
What Before Sunrise has that we don’t
This is where Before Sunrise comes in. This movie is simple. It focuses on two characters, Jesse and Celine, as they get to know each other throughout the night in Vienna. The movie progresses scene after scene, just the two of them wandering around in a foreign city, with no dramatic problem to solve or an event they have to get through. The story is character-driven and composed solely of conversation, like an intricate dance between them — going around each other, clashing at times, but ultimately creating something intimate and beautiful.
As people living in the world, we want to be known and seen and understood, but we lack the ability to know and see and understand others the way people once knew how to. This idea that somebody would want to keep talking to you, and that you would want to do the same, is something that is somewhat lost in this generation. Before Sunrise offers an escape as well as an example of what we are all looking for—real human connection.
The timelessness of a conversation
In a New York Times interview with director Richard Linklater, he says about the movie: “Our film was weird. There wasn't a lot of music in it. It wasn't MTV-style. It had nothing to do with the pop culture moment. There were no references to anything. It was just two people.” This lack of any generational signifiers is something that prevents even a 30 year old movie from feeling dated, instead making it feel fresh and new to any audience at any time. Aside from clothing, you could have the same exact film set in the present and it would still make sense. The men promoting their amateur play, the Viennese bum, the dark and rowdy club, are all scenes that could take place in the present and nobody would bat an eye. The main focus of the film is the conversation that takes place, and the growing relationship between Jesse and Celine that comes with it. The undated nature of Before Sunrise contributes to its seeimgly ever-growing popularity, transcending time and focusing purely on people and the space between them.
The future of Before Sunrise
It is rare for a film to be so well-loved and even rarer for it to remain well-loved, decades after its release. Even more amazing? The reason behind Before Sunrise's popularity isn't because of a big fancy budget or an A-list cast. It is because it tells a story of connection that resonates with people across generations and time, which is why I can say with confidence that this film will undoubtedly be loved for decades more to come.
