The film opens with a German speaking couple, Austrians, or possibly Germans, arguing loudly on a train traveling westward.  Across the isle sits a young twenty-some blond French woman, Celine (Julie Delpy) who the audience will recognize from Three Colors: White (1994) from the year before, returning to Paris from a visit to her grandmother in Budapest.  The arguing couple urges her to move to a more peaceful location across from an American, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), of her own age.  Through blunt caution, Jesse approaches Celine, which leads both of them to the buffet car where they begin to discuss their personal philosophical perspectives on existence and their experiences.

Through their discussion they found solace, but it is about to end, as Jesse must exit the train at Vienna due to a flight he had back to the United States the following day.  The two say their goodbyes, but Jesse quickly returns to ask Celine if she would consider staying for one night in order to eliminate the possibility of dreaming of him in the future.  Celine smiles and nods to Jesse’s suggestion while she reveals that she intends to follow his notion.  Expectedly her decision leads the audience into an intriguing thoughtful venture where they discover one another through questions and hypotheses that they present to each other.

The audience gets to follow Celine and Jesse through the night, as they get closer to each other through cerebral discovery.  The words that they exchange have a meaning, as they willfully expose themselves in order to gain each other’s trust, care, and affection.  In essence, they are falling in love, and during this blissful night, they reveal their strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, and experiences through their viewpoints and notions.  This happens while they ultimately are aware that the culmination of their prolonged rendezvous is creeping nearer through the rise of the sun.

The psychological depth and philosophical concentration of the story rests within Richard Linklater's and Kim Krizan's well-written script, which encourages cerebral participation and reflection.  However, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke enhance moments through their performances, which transcend words into human drama of the highest quality.  Linklater should also receive credit for framing each scene, which encourages the audience to dig deeper into the meaning of Celine and Jesse’s conversations.  The end-credits do not stop this film from continuing to roll in the mind of the audience, as the love affair instigates the notion of why existence can be wonderful.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

USA / Austria / Switzerland

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