It's been 30 years since one of cinema's most romantic trilogies: A Walk Through Vienna filmed by Richard Linklater

It's been three decades since American Jesse met Frenchwoman Céline, and the lives of all film buffs changed. It was in 1995 that a film was released that inspired and redefined romance in cinema , shot on the streets of Vienna and conceived as a long boy-meets-girl conversation, with surprising realism and intimacy. Its anniversary this June has rekindled the flame among nostalgic and new generations of film buffs.

That encounter between two young strangers on a train unwittingly became a generational symbol. The connection between its actors , Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy , captured through long walks through the Austrian city and meaningful silences, broke the mold of classic romantic cinema.

There were no chases, no goodbyes at airports, no love letters: just the natural flow of a shared night. Years later, the sequels to Before Sunrise would arrive, which, with equal narrative honesty and set in other European enclaves, such as Paris ( Before Sunset , 2004) and the Peloponnese peninsula ( Before Midnight , 2013), would complete the trilogy about the couple's encounters and disagreements over the years. But the beginning, that aimless walk through the streets of Vienna , remains one of the most memorable moments.

Echoes of another time

Directed by Richard Linklater ( Boyhood, Hit Man , and his new film, Nouvelle Vague , is still pending release), Before Sunrise premiered in Spain on June 23, 1995. Inspired by a personal experience of the filmmaker himself, the film found its soul thanks to the dedication of Hawke and Delpy, protagonists who would also actively participate in the writing of the script in its sequels.

Its release coincided with a time of change in Europe : Austria's entry into the European Union and the rise of the Erasmus program offered a new context for young travelers across the continent. The romance between Jesse and Céline captured that illusion of open borders and spontaneous romances.

The passage of time has only increased its magnetism. Seen from 2025, the first installment of this romantic trilogy feels like a time capsule : no phones or social media, just two people living in the present. Thirty years later, Before Sunrise not only lives on, but questions whether a much more spontaneous past might not have been better. The entire trilogy is available to stream on Filmin and Movistar Plus+ , while the third installment, Before Midnight , can also be found on Prime Video and Max .