A young man and woman in their twenties meet on a train in Europe and agree to spend just one night together in Vienna. They both know that this will probably be the only night they will ever have.
For this film to open on a train I was straight into it, I love train scenes as think they just work out so well. Celine moves seats due to a couple arguing and this changes the rest of the day and then night for her. She meets Jesse an American who has traveled around Europe and heading to Vienna to get a flight home.
The pair instantly spark and just start talking, they seem comfortable with each other right away and talk about everything. They are at ease and it really does become beautiful to watch. It feels so real and that is not something you can always say about a film. Isn’t talking to someone you don’t really know sometimes a lot easier than a close friend or a member of your family.
I’d obviously heard a lot about this film and so pleased I have now seen it. A film with only two actors in as a very risky thing to try but this works so well and the time really flies by with them really opening up and talking about random things. Questioning each other and really finding out what they are all about. It really is romantic without being over the top and throwing it in your face. It’s about that spark, which doesn’t happen very often. When it does though you both know it straight away.
It is also really sad and difficult to watch at times with them knowing that it will be really difficult to actually see each other again. You know the goodbye is going to be the worst thing to see as they really have connected and stayed up pretty much all night together. I think one of my favorite scenes had to be when they were pretending to call a friend and what they would say to them with the other pretending to be the friend, actually sat at the table using their hand as a phone.
It makes you think what would you do if you thought you found your greatest possible love and only had that one night with them. Talking to them or messaging them isn’t the same thing. That connection you have and that could actually just be it? It kinda breaks my heart to think about that. This film must have been groundbreaking at the time and I think it all still stands now, it hasn’t aged very much and you can still relate to the characters.
Ethan Hawke is so charming and full of life who wouldn’t totally fall in love with him? But he comes across as such a nice guy as well. With Julie Delpy really holding her own against him in the very shy manner of her character. I really could watch this film over and over and I am sure when I watch it again other things will really jump out about it. The conversations are just fantastic as some of those things about your thoughts and ideas are something that you never actually tell anyone and just keep it to yourself.
I really cannot wait to watch the rest of the films in this now trilogy as this has left me wanting more, just incredible!
