83/100

If the Before Sunrise/Sunset films are independent versions of a Hollywood romantic comedy, then Quiet City is the independent version of Before Sunrise/Sunset. The premise is the same: a girl and boy meet and hang out in the city; but the approach is totally different. The dialogue isn’t clever and entertaining in a writerly way and the situations are not overtly romantic. Instead, the film takes a more realistic approach. The unknown lead actors, while attractive, make Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy look like Ashton Kutcher and Megan Fox. the production values are even lower—although the look of the film is exceptional. The scenes are also much more low-key—as is the humor and “romance” in the film, which most mainstream moviegoers would find boring. Indeed, describing this film as a romantic-comedy would be highly misleading because the comedy is subtle and the romance is stripped down to the the initial attraction between two people—an attraction that is not overheated like lust or love, but something more delicate and gentle; something that comes out of the human need for touch and connection.