A young man and woman meet by chance on a train in Europe and embark on a spontaneous romantic evening together in Vienna, walking around the city and getting to know each other. In the course of their 14-hour relationship, the two share in their love for the unrehearsed and their appreciation for the unexpected as they explore in a powerful meeting of hearts and minds. But as they find themselves being drawn closer, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
Jesse, a young American, and Céline, a French student, meet on a train travelling from Budapest to Vienna. Jesse is going to Vienna to catch a flight back to the United States, whereas Céline is returning to university in Paris after visiting her grandmother. They soon become immersed in conversation about themselves, relationships and life experiences, and sensing that they are developing a connection, Jesse asks Céline to disembark with him. He has to catch a flight early in the morning and does not have enough money to rent a room, so he suggests they roam around the city together for the night. Céline, already developing similar feelings for Jesse and wishing to continue their conversation, agrees.
After visiting a few landmarks in Vienna, they share a kiss at the top of the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel at sunset and start to feel a romantic connection. As they continue to roam, they begin to talk more openly with each other, with conversations ranging from topics about love, life, religion, and their observations of the city. Céline tells Jesse that her last boyfriend broke up with her six months ago, claiming that she "loved him too much". When questioned, Jesse reveals he had initially come to Europe to spend time with his girlfriend who was studying in Madrid, but they had broken up when she was avoiding him while he was there. He decided to take a cheap flight home out of Vienna, but since it did not leave for two weeks he bought a Eurail pass and had been travelling on trains around Europe.
When they are walking alongside the Donaukanal they are approached by a man who, instead of begging, offers to write them a poem with a word of their choice in it. Jesse and Céline decide on the word "milkshake", and are soon presented with the beautiful and very appropriate poem, Delusion Angel. In a traditional Viennese café, Céline begins to play a game whereby they stage fake telephone conversations with each other, playing each others' friends they pretend to call. Céline reveals that she was ready to get off the train with Jesse before he convinced her. Jesse reveals that after he broke up with his girlfriend, he bought a flight that was not much cheaper, and all he really wanted was an escape from his life. Within these conversations each is free to express their feelings for the other in a more truthful and less self-conscious way than they would by making direct statements.
They admit their attraction to each other and how the night has made them feel, though they understand that they probably will not see each other again when they leave. They simply decide to make the best of what time they have left, ending the night in an implied sexual embrace. Early the following morning they make their way to the railway station for Céline to catch her train to Paris. The moment when they must part finally arrives with a sudden and very emotional goodbye, but with them agreeing to meet at the same place in six months time. Céline boards her train and Jesse walks out of the station to get his bus to the airport.
A portrait of two strangers, both in search of love, who make a romantic, intellectual, and spiritual bond with one another. Questions about fate and the transitory nature of relationships are raised, then left open for us to ponder. Full of wonderfully amusing, touching and insightful moments of bittersweet poignancy, Jesse and Céline's connection is built on a natural chemistry. Although the narrative is entirely dialogue-driven, much also relies upon their body language, subtle facial expressions, and the silences between the characters. The absolute beauty of it lies in its perfection as a simple love story – of two lives suddenly thrown together in the midst of reality, and the ensuing night of simple love that follows.
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