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This week, Nicky has chosen to talk about BEFORE SUNRISE (1995).

Written by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan, and directed by Richard Linklater, this film asks an age-old question. If Ethan Hawke asked you to get off a train with him, would you? For Nicky, it’d be a real quick yes. She’d walk round Vienna, have the most meaningful experience of her life, and measure all romantic encounters against that one night, finding that they repeatedly came up short. And Phil? For his personal stance, you’ll need to listen to the pod.

Nicky has loved this film since she discovered it in the nineties. Phil is a more recent viewer. This conversation was recorded in February 2026.

(Also, when Nicky describes not having a train ticket when she was seventeen, she means she didn’t have a booked seat. No fare dodging here!)

References mentioned, and wider reading…

https://medium.com/@Jeanaubinet/before-sunrise-the-charm-of-simplicity-and-emotional-depth-0235eab7b15f The Charm of Simplicity and Emotional Depth

https://chicagofilmscene.com/the-conversational-intimacy-of-before-sunrise/

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/49w7ra/does_anyone_know_what_the_couple_in_the_beginning/ - The German couple’s argument, translated.

https://nofilmschool.com/How-to-write-a-conversation - Screen writing tips

https://www.willmcphail.com/store/lady-no-kids-2025 - The adventures of Lady No-Kids by Will McPhail

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/30/before-sunrise-review-richard-linklater-ethan-hawke-julie-delpy by Peter Bradshaw


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