JESSE: Too bad it isn’t daytime so we could see the stained glass windows better.
CELINE: I was in an old church like this one with my grandmother in Budapest a few days ago. Even though I reject most of the religious thing, I can’t help but feeling for all those people that come here lost, or in pain, guilt — who come here looking for answers. It fascinates me how a single place can join so much pain and happiness, for so many generations.
JESSE: So you’re pretty close to your grandmother.
CELINE: Yes, I think so. I think it’s because I’ve always had this feeling that I’m this very old woman, laying down, about to die, and her last thoughts are the remembrance of her youth and her life. I feel like my life is just her memories or something.
JESSE: That’s wild. I always feel like I’m still this thirteen-year-old boy who doesn’t really know how to be an adult. So it’s like I’m pretending to live a life, taking notes for when I’ll really have to do it. Kind of like a dress rehearsal for a junior high play.
CELINE: That’s funny. So up there in the Ferris wheel it was this very old woman kissing this very young boy.
JESSE: Get your head out of the gutter. Do you know anything about the Quakers?
CELINE: No, not much.
JESSE: It’s really cool. I went to this Quaker wedding once, and do you know how they do it? The couple kneels down in the middle of the church in front of everyone, and they stare at each other. Nobody speaks unless God moves them to say something — a blessing, a warning, nothing, whatever. And then after an hour of staring into each other’s eyes, they’re married.
CELINE: That’s beautiful. I like that.
JESSE: Gosh, this is kind of a horrible story, but maybe this is an appropriate place to tell it. I was driving around with this buddy of mine who’s this big atheist, and we came to a stop where there was this homeless guy holding up a sign saying he needed a job or something. My friend holds out a hundred-dollar bill to him and asks, “Do you believe in God?” The guy looks at him, looks at the money, and says, “Yes, I do.” My friend goes, “Wrong answer,” and drives away.
CELINE: That’s so mean.
— Before Sunrise (1995), written by Richard Linklater
I like the entire dialogue, but you could also just choose the line: „It fascinates me how a single place can join so much pain and happiness, for so many generations.“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eelepkD8p48
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Church. Today’s recommendation by Gisela Wehrl.
Trivia: Originally, in the screenplay, who the two people were and the city they spend time in was vague.
I’ll try to add a comment tomorrow.
