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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding!!, 19 May 2005
I should probably warn you that however I describe this film, I will not do it justice. I should also point out that this film is very much a matter of taste, and whether you like it or not will probably depend on whether you can relate to the two central characters on some level. Jesse and Celine meet on a train, get off in Vienna, and embark on a one-day and one-night relationship before they both head their separate ways the next morning. The film is dialogue driven, and we are led through a version of all those late-night conversations we've all had at one time or another, some with a different slant, some less so. The result is that the film feels like a fly on the wall experience, where we witness the entire relationship between Jesse and Celine, their quirks, faults, their hopes and fears, as they travel the streets of Vienna, and facing the relentless passing of time before they must part. This theme is constant throughout on various levels. In that time, both characters attempt to find some profound answer to their lives, and try their hand at some 'deep', although in my opinion reasonably unpretentious, ideas about relationships, women, time, etc. The feeling is of two real people, living real lives, trying to discover each other in a race against time, and in this their exchanges do not seem in any way contrived (the listening booth scene is masterful). Jesse has his faults, as does Celine, they are not supposed to be perfect - but I find that I care for them both, perhaps more so than I have with any other film. The beautiful backdrop of Vienna and the extremely endearing interplay between Jesse and Celine as they try to find common ground and mull over their thoughts on the world, makes for a beautiful experience. It's not gushy, it's not over the top, doesn't have any 'I-will-love-you-for-evermore' candyrock soundtrack, and it lacks the compulsory declarations of undying slush that normally have me reaching for the closest bucket..... but it is nevertheless a very tender and subtly romantic film, and I felt a tremendous sense of loss when the end credits started to roll (always a good sign). I can't recommend it highly enough (and in response to another reviewer, just to make this absolutely clear, I'm far from being a teenager.... but I love this film now as much as when it first came out). .....told you I wouldn't do it justice!
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