Before Sunrise Subtitles

For modern viewers, the distinction between standard subtitles and SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) changes the experience of Before Sunrise.

We must address the elephant in the room. Before Sunrise is available on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, and digital retailers. These platforms have official, perfect subtitles.

Why, then, do people download external subtitle files?

However, if you love the film, buy the Criterion BluRay. Not only does it have immaculate subtitles, but it also includes a second disc of the sequel (Before Sunset) and a commentary track subtitled in 12 languages.

Searching for Before Sunrise subtitles is not just about "words at the bottom of the screen." It is about preserving the intimacy of a film that lives in the margins. It is about catching the joke Jesse makes under his breath. It is about reading Céline’s frustration when she realizes they have to part ways.

Do not settle for out-of-sync, garbled, or machine-translated garbage. Take the extra five minutes to find the verified, high-bitrate, SDH-enhanced subtitle track. Your viewing experience—and your understanding of why this film is a masterpiece—depends on it.

Because in a movie where the two leads spend 100 minutes trying to say "I love you" without actually saying it, you need to hear (and read) every single word.

Have a favorite line from Before Sunrise that you only understood thanks to subtitles? Let us know in the comments below.

Here is the full subtitle text (dialogue and transcript) from Before Sunrise (1995), written by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizhan. This is formatted like a subtitle file (SRT style) but without timestamps, presented as a continuous script.

Opening Scene: Train

Woman (Céline): Don't you think if your grandmother did something wrong in her life, that you could be punished for it? Like in Tibet, they believe that you are responsible for your ancestors' actions.

Man (Jesse): I'm American. We don't believe in that stuff.

Céline: That's not a good reason.

Jesse: No, I know. But... I don't know. I never thought about it.

Céline: See, I think if I was in Tibet, I would be a monk, and I would have a big temple, and I would wear those red robes, and I would sit on top of a mountain, and I would meditate for a hundred years.

Jesse: You'd get bored.

Céline: No, you wouldn't. You'd be in a state of pure bliss.

Jesse: What's pure bliss?

Céline: Just... being.

Jesse: Being what?

Céline: Being... you know. Being. Being alive. Being present.

Jesse: You sound like a hippie.

Céline: So? What's wrong with hippies?

Jesse: Nothing. I just... I don't know. I'm not good at that stuff.

Céline: You never just... sit and think?

Jesse: Sure. I think about stuff.

Céline: Like what?

Jesse: Like... why do we have to be so serious all the time? Why can't we just... laugh?

Céline: I laugh.

Jesse: No, I mean... really laugh. Like when you're a kid. Remember when you were a kid and everything was funny?

Céline: Everything was not funny. My grandmother died when I was a kid.

Jesse: Okay, bad example. But you know what I mean.

Céline: I think so.

Jesse: I just think that we put so much pressure on ourselves to be interesting, to be smart, to be successful. And maybe we should just... be.

Céline: There you go. Being again.

Jesse: Yeah. Being.

Céline: (laughs) You're the hippie.

Jesse: No, I'm not.

Céline: Yes, you are.

Jesse: I am not.

Céline: You are. You're an American hippie.

Jesse: I'm from Texas. We don't have hippies. We have cowboys.

Céline: Cowboys are just hippies with hats.

Jesse: (laughs) That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Céline: See? You laughed. A real laugh.

Jesse: Shut up.

Céline: See? You're smiling.

Jesse: You're annoying.

Céline: I know.

The Couple Arguing (German/French)

Man (German): (in German) I can't believe you said that.

Woman (French): (in French) It's true. It's the truth.

German: (in German) The truth? You don't know the truth.

French: (in French) I know enough.

Jesse: You understand them?

Céline: A little. They're fighting about... something. It's always the same fight.

Jesse: What about?

Céline: The usual. He doesn't listen. She feels invisible.

Jesse: Sounds fun.

Céline: Marriage is supposed to be like that.

Jesse: Then why get married?

Céline: Because you love someone.

Jesse: Love. That's another one.

Céline: Another what?

Jesse: Another word we use to describe something we don't understand.

Céline: You don't believe in love?

Jesse: I believe in it. I just don't know what it is.

Céline: That's sad.

Jesse: Is it? Or is it honest?

Céline: Maybe both.

They Decide to Get Off the Train

Announcement (German): (in German) Next stop, Vienna. Vienna, next stop.

Jesse: This is my stop. Vienna.

Céline: I know. I'm going to Paris.

Jesse: I know.

(Pause)

Jesse: Listen. I have a crazy idea. What if you got off with me?

Céline: What?

Jesse: Come on. Get off the train with me. We'll walk around Vienna. Just for today. Just for tonight.

Céline: I don't even know you.

Jesse: I know. That's the point.

Céline: What point?

Jesse: Think of it like... like a time travel. Twenty years from now, you're married, your life is fine, but you wonder what if. What if you had gotten off that train with that crazy American guy. You'll be wondering your whole life. Don't you want to know? Don't you want to know what could have happened?

Céline: You're insane.

Jesse: Probably. But I'm harmless.

Céline: What would we do?

Jesse: I don't know. Walk. Talk. Eat. See the city. The usual.

Céline: I have to be in Paris tomorrow morning. My flight.

Jesse: I'll put you on a train tomorrow. 7 AM. You'll be in Paris by noon.

Céline: (long pause) Okay.

Jesse: Okay?

Céline: Okay. Let's do it.

Jesse: Really?

Céline: Don't make me change my mind.

Jesse: Grab your bag. Come on.

Arriving in Vienna / Bridge

Céline: This is crazy.

Jesse: Totally crazy.

Céline: I don't do things like this.

Jesse: Me neither.

Céline: Then why are we doing it?

Jesse: I don't know. Because... because the sun is setting. Because we're young. Because we're here.

Céline: That's not a reason.

Jesse: It's the only reason that matters.

Céline: (looks at bridge) It's beautiful here.

Jesse: See? Already worth it.

Céline: We haven't done anything yet.

Jesse: We got off a train. That's something.

Céline: That's barely anything.

Jesse: Exactly. That's the beauty of it. We have no plans. No expectations. Just... this.

Céline: Just being.

Jesse: (smiles) Just being.

Record Store / Listening Booth

Clerk: (in German) Can I help you?

Jesse: (in English) Uh... do you have...?

Céline: (in German) We're just looking. Thank you.

Clerk: (in German) Take your time.

Céline: I love this place.

Jesse: What is it?

Céline: A record store. You know, vinyl.

Jesse: I know what a record is. I'm not a caveman.

Céline: Could have fooled me.

Jesse: Funny.

Céline: Come here. Listen to this.

(They go into a listening booth. Céline puts on headphones. She hands the other pair to Jesse.)

Céline: Close your eyes.

Jesse: Why?

Céline: Just do it.

(They listen to "Come Here" by Kath Bloom. They keep glancing at each other, looking away, smiling.)

Song lyrics (partial): There's a wind that blows in from the north / And it says that loving takes this course / Come here, come here...

(They leave the store.)

Jesse: That was nice.

Céline: That song. It's like... it's like he wrote it for this moment.

Jesse: You think?

Céline: I know.

Ferris Wheel / Sunset

Jesse: You want to go up?

Céline: The Ferris wheel? That's for tourists.

Jesse: We are tourists.

Céline: I don't want to be a tourist.

Jesse: What do you want to be?

Céline: I don't know. Something else.

Jesse: Come on. Just once.

(They get on the Ferris wheel. It stops at the top.)

Céline: Look at the sun. It's going down.

Jesse: It does that every day.

Céline: I know. But not like this. Not here. Not with you.

Jesse: (looks at her) You're beautiful.

Céline: Don't.

Jesse: What?

Céline: Don't say things like that.

Jesse: Why not? It's true.

Céline: It makes it... real.

Jesse: Isn't it real?

Céline: I don't know. This feels like a dream. If I kiss you, will it become real?

Jesse: Only one way to find out.

(They kiss.)

Céline: (pulls back, smiling) It's still a dream.

Jesse: Good. Let's keep it that way.

Walking / Cemetery

Céline: Look. A cemetery.

Jesse: You want to go in?

Céline: Yes.

Jesse: Why?

Céline: I like cemeteries. They're peaceful.

Jesse: They're full of dead people.

Céline: Exactly. They're not complaining.

Jesse: Good point.

(They walk through the cemetery.)

Céline: Look at this grave. A little girl. 1883 to 1888. Only five years old.

Jesse: That's sad.

Céline: It is. But look at the stone. Someone carved a little bird. Someone loved her.

Jesse: Everyone dies.

Céline: I know. That's why we have to make every moment count.

Jesse: That's a lot of pressure.

Céline: No. It's a gift.

Church / Conversation about God

Céline: Can we go in?

Jesse: A church?

Céline: Just for a second.

(They enter a church. Céline lights a candle.) before sunrise subtitles

Jesse: You believe in God?

Céline: I don't know. I believe in... something.

Jesse: Like what?

Céline: Like... if there's a God, it's not in a book. It's not in a church. It's here. (points to her heart) And here. (points to the candle)

Jesse: That's vague.

Céline: That's the point. God is vague. God is mystery.

Jesse: I don't get it.

Céline: I know you don't. You're American.

Jesse: There it is.

Céline: (laughs) I'm kidding. Mostly.

Jesse: I think we make up God because we're afraid of being alone.

Céline: Maybe. Or maybe we make up loneliness because we're afraid of God.

Jesse: That's deep.

Céline: I have my moments.

Dinner / "What would you say to your younger self?"

Jesse: If I could talk to my 8-year-old self, I'd say: Don't worry. You're not weird. Everyone else is weird.

Céline: I'd say: Trust yourself. Don't listen to your parents so much.

Jesse: Your parents?

Céline: They mean well, but they don't know who I am.

Jesse: Nobody knows who you are. That's the point.

Céline: That's sad.

Jesse: That's liberating. You can be anyone.

Céline: I don't want to be anyone. I want to be me.

Jesse: Who is that?

Céline: I'm still figuring it out.

Jesse: We all are.

Céline: Do you think we ever figure it out?

Jesse: No. I think we just get better at pretending.

Céline: That's cynical.

Jesse: That's honest.

Céline: There's a difference?

Jesse: Sometimes. Not always.

Walk along the Danube / Nude Sculpture

Céline: Look at that statue. A woman. No clothes.

Jesse: It's art.

Céline: It's a naked woman.

Jesse: That's what I said. Art.

Céline: Why is it always women? Why are men so obsessed with women's bodies?

Jesse: I don't know. They're beautiful.

Céline: So are men's bodies.

Jesse: You think?

Céline: Of course. But you don't see statues of naked men everywhere.

Jesse: You're not looking in the right places.

Céline: (laughs) Shut up.

Jesse: I'm serious. Michelangelo's David. Hello?

Céline: One statue. Against a thousand Venuses.

Jesse: Fair point.

Céline: Thank you.

Street Musician / "That's life"

(An old man with a guitar plays a song.)

Man (singing in German, then English): "Baby, I don't know what you're doing tonight But I know what I'm thinking I'm thinking about you That's life. That's life."

Céline: That was beautiful.

Jesse: He was singing about a girl.

Céline: He was singing about life.

Jesse: Same thing.

Céline: (to the man) Thank you.

Man: (in English) For you. For love.

Café / Fake Phone Call

Jesse: Let's pretend. We're in a café. We're old friends. We haven't seen each other in ten years.

Céline: Okay. You start.

Jesse: (pretending to call her) Hello?

Céline: (picks up an imaginary phone) Hello?

Jesse: Is this Céline?

Céline: Who's calling?

Jesse: It's Jesse. From the train. Remember?

Céline: Jesse? Oh my God. How are you?

Jesse: I'm good. I'm married. Two kids. You?

Céline: Married. Divorced. Living in London.

Jesse: Are you happy?

Céline: (pause) I'm fine.

Jesse: That's not the same thing.

Céline: I know.

Jesse: I think about you sometimes.

Céline: Me too. That day. Vienna.

Jesse: What if you had gotten off the train?

Céline: I did get off.

Jesse: In the pretend version.

Céline: Oh. Right. (pause) Then I don't know. Maybe we would have hated each other.

Jesse: Maybe.

Céline: Or maybe we would have fallen in love.

Jesse: Which is worse?

Céline: (laughs) You tell me.

Jesse: I think... I think we would have had a great night. And then we would have said goodbye. And that would have been perfect.

Céline: Perfect.

Jesse: Yeah.

Céline: (hangs up imaginary phone) That was a good game.

Jesse: Yeah.

Boat / "I believe in love"

Céline: I don't want to sound like a silly romantic, but I believe in love. Not the movie version. The real version. The messy, complicated, annoying version.

Jesse: Why?

Céline: Because it's the only thing that makes any sense. All this stuff—work, money, politics—it's all noise. Love is the signal.

Jesse: What if you don't find it?

Céline: Then you keep looking.

Jesse: That sounds exhausting.

Céline: That sounds like being alive.

Night / Cobblestone Alley

Jesse: What's your biggest fear?

Céline: Being forgotten. You?

Jesse: Dying alone.

Céline: Everyone dies alone.

Jesse: No. I mean... without having loved someone. Without having someone love me.

Céline: That's not going to happen.

Jesse: How do you know?

Céline: Because I'm here. Right now. And I barely know you, but I already... I already feel something.

Jesse: What do you feel?

Céline: I don't have a word for it.

Jesse: Try.

Céline: (long pause) Hope.

Park Bench / "The world is better because you exist"

Céline: You know what I think? I think if someone told me that the world was going to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.

Jesse: Why?

Céline: Because hope is not about the future. Hope is about now. It's about saying: I'm here. I'm alive. And that matters.

Jesse: That's beautiful.

Céline: Thank you.

Jesse: No. I mean it. You're beautiful. Not just your face. Everything. The way you talk. The way you think. The way you see things.

Céline: Don't make me cry.

Jesse: Why not?

Céline: Because then I'll have to admit that this is real. And I'm not ready for it to be real.

Jesse: It's already real.

Céline: I know. (starts crying softly) Damn it.

Jesse: (holds her) It's okay.

Céline: No. It's not. Because tomorrow morning, we leave. And I'll never see you again.

Jesse: You don't know that.

Céline: Yes, I do.

Jesse: Then don't leave.

Céline: I have to.

Jesse: No, you don't.

Céline: Yes, I do. And so do you.

Jesse: (pause) Then let's not say goodbye.

Céline: What do we say?

Jesse: See you later.

Céline: That's the same thing.

Jesse: No. Goodbye is final. See you later means maybe someday.

Céline: Someday?

Jesse: Someday.

Train Station / Morning

(They stand on the platform.)

Jesse: I don't want to go.

Céline: Then stay.

Jesse: I can't.

Céline: Then go.

Jesse: I don't want to.

Céline: This is stupid.

Jesse: I know.

Céline: We're being stupid.

Jesse: I know.

Céline: Kiss me.

(They kiss.)

Céline: Write down your number.

Jesse: I don't have a pen.

Céline: (finds a pen) Here.

Jesse: (writes on a piece of paper) Here's my friend's number. Call me. I'll call you. We'll figure it out.

Céline: We won't.

Jesse: We might.

Céline: We won't. And that's okay.

Jesse: No. It's not okay.

Céline: It has to be.

(Train announcement.)

Jesse: That's your train.

Céline: I know.

Jesse: Go.

Céline: You first.

Jesse: No. You.

(Céline gets on the train. She looks out the window. Jesse stands on the platform.)

Céline: (through the window) See you later.

Jesse: (smiles) See you later.

(The train leaves.)

Final Scene / Montage

(The camera shows empty places they visited: the Ferris wheel, the cemetery, the church, the park bench.)

Jesse: (voiceover, from earlier conversation) What if you had gotten off the train?

Céline: (voiceover) I did get off.

Jesse: (voiceover) In the pretend version.

Céline: (voiceover) Then I don't know.

(Cut to Jesse sitting alone on the train to the airport. Cut to Céline sitting alone on the train to Paris. Both are looking out the window, smiling softly.)

Céline: (voiceover) Maybe we would have hated each other.

Jesse: (voiceover) Maybe.

Céline: (voiceover) Or maybe we would have fallen in love.

Jesse: (voiceover) Which is worse?

Céline: (voiceover) You tell me.

(Fade to black.)

END.

If you are hunting for Before Sunrise subtitles, you will likely want the whole trilogy. Note that Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) have different subtitle challenges.