Before MidnightThere's a line in Before Sunrise--the first in a romantic trilogy of films by Richard Linklater--in which one of the two young romantics who are our protagonists, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), asks of Celine (Julie Delpy) after they have a difference in opinion, if they just had their "first fight". Before Midnight picks up eighteen years after that fateful, romantic time in Vienna--and nine years later than when they reunited in Paris--to find the two lovers in their early forties, vacationing in Greece, together with twin girls, engaged in a committed relationship...but a relationship at a crossroads all the same.
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At the start of the film, Jesse's son Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick)--who has been visiting from Chicago and is permanently living with Jesse's ex-wife and Hank's mom--is returning to the United States, and Jesse is experiencing a deep pain, because he cannot be there for Hank and Jesse is not living up to his idea of what a responsible father should be. Celine is even more entrenched in her social and political activism than before, and is coping with an energy deal that has gone sour, but Jesse's crisis is barely something he can contain--nay, he cannot contain this fear, and he tells Celine of his troubles. And, as Celine points out, here is where it starts, what she proclaims as the beginning of the end, for them and their relationship. This sentiment--like others expressed in Before Midnight--are what makes this most recent entry in the "Before" series of films stand apart from the rest of complacent, predictable romances out there, even the film's predecessors. The film showcases a relationship enduring the genuine and serious struggles that come with two people who are also individuals, and not diluted by the elixir of infatuation any more, who have real concerns and have to consider how they matter to one another. And as is the case with any kind of romance, there is that magic which draws people together...love, lust, camaraderie, et al...but what outlasts it all is understanding and even then, maybe that isn't enough. The biggest change from the dialogue in previous entries in the Before trilogy and Before Midnight is that the walls of caution in conversation have been worn away by the sands of time, and Celine and Jesse are unabashedly frank with one another, open to an extreme, and the dialogue suggests that it has been this way for a long time, a couple growing older, not afraid to say something that might offend one another. The flip side to this is that watching the film and understanding the struggles which the two are coping with means that some of these candid declarations come across as biting and petty, a persistent exchange of escalating barbs designed to undercut and, yes, humiliate one another into some kind of submission. That's there, too, and for fans of the previous entries, this sting is a sharp pain indeed.
Richard Linklater (joined in screenwriting credit again by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke) have concocted a devilishly clever scenario to play out this powder keg, this emotional grand guignol effort. We feel as if our hearts are being ripped to shreds in the wake of these two lovers who gave up so much to be together, and who now turn on one another. But not all is a kind of dour exploitation of our sympathies; it should be clearly marked that Jesse and Celine in their middle age still find a rare moment in their busy lives to walk the streets of Greece as they have done before in Vienna and Paris, talking about the deep feelings they have and the important, philosophical questions that concern them...different now than in their twenties and thirties, sure, but no less relevant. The love is there...it's too bad their lives are getting in the way. There is a section of the movie early on devoted to Jesse and Celine's stay at the vacation home of a famous writer named Patrick (Walter Lassally), who has a dinner party for them, as well as his other friends and family, including a pair of young lovers (like Celine and Jesse), a couple about their age, and Patrick and his lady friend, Natalia (Xenia Kalogeropoulou), all of whom have some kind of connection with one another, as they share pieces of their hearts over dinner and talk of love. This scene reminds me of a little, almost throwaway moment in Before Sunrise, when Jesse and Celine visit a restaurant, and before we see them again, we get a sense of many other conversations carried on at many other tables with different people. This dinner party creates the sense that Jesse and Celine's problems may be real, but they are not the only couple in the world. Even when their blossoming rancor threatens to boil over among friends, there is a sense that they are there to present to them (and us) a multifaceted portrayal of life and love at different stages. When I first saw Before Midnight, it was the final showing in a triple feature; I had never seen the Before trilogy prior, and suddenly, I experienced them all in one night, back to back to back. I was utterly stunned by the authenticity of emotion, of the range and the sense of genuine heartache taking place in the hotel room where the film's conflict finally culminates. There is more to the story than I'm letting on, but I consider that final portion of the film to be a bold and striking scene, pulling no punches and revealing so much that had gone unsaid about these great characters who have lived and grown, independent of the films it would seem. I also loved the brilliant recalling of Jesse's original proposal from the first film on the train about "time travel" in the denouement here, a pitch which bookends the trilogy. These three films are a great and diverse portrayal of love and lovers across time...here's hoping we get more from Jesse and Celine in nine more years.
Recommended for: Fans of not only intelligent romance, but of sophisticated and sharp drama. It is observed that the film is set in Greece, the birthplace of tragedy, and this association is played for effect. You'll have to see it for yourself if you've come this far already.
Richard Linklater (joined in screenwriting credit again by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke) have concocted a devilishly clever scenario to play out this powder keg, this emotional grand guignol effort. We feel as if our hearts are being ripped to shreds in the wake of these two lovers who gave up so much to be together, and who now turn on one another. But not all is a kind of dour exploitation of our sympathies; it should be clearly marked that Jesse and Celine in their middle age still find a rare moment in their busy lives to walk the streets of Greece as they have done before in Vienna and Paris, talking about the deep feelings they have and the important, philosophical questions that concern them...different now than in their twenties and thirties, sure, but no less relevant. The love is there...it's too bad their lives are getting in the way. There is a section of the movie early on devoted to Jesse and Celine's stay at the vacation home of a famous writer named Patrick (Walter Lassally), who has a dinner party for them, as well as his other friends and family, including a pair of young lovers (like Celine and Jesse), a couple about their age, and Patrick and his lady friend, Natalia (Xenia Kalogeropoulou), all of whom have some kind of connection with one another, as they share pieces of their hearts over dinner and talk of love. This scene reminds me of a little, almost throwaway moment in Before Sunrise, when Jesse and Celine visit a restaurant, and before we see them again, we get a sense of many other conversations carried on at many other tables with different people. This dinner party creates the sense that Jesse and Celine's problems may be real, but they are not the only couple in the world. Even when their blossoming rancor threatens to boil over among friends, there is a sense that they are there to present to them (and us) a multifaceted portrayal of life and love at different stages. When I first saw Before Midnight, it was the final showing in a triple feature; I had never seen the Before trilogy prior, and suddenly, I experienced them all in one night, back to back to back. I was utterly stunned by the authenticity of emotion, of the range and the sense of genuine heartache taking place in the hotel room where the film's conflict finally culminates. There is more to the story than I'm letting on, but I consider that final portion of the film to be a bold and striking scene, pulling no punches and revealing so much that had gone unsaid about these great characters who have lived and grown, independent of the films it would seem. I also loved the brilliant recalling of Jesse's original proposal from the first film on the train about "time travel" in the denouement here, a pitch which bookends the trilogy. These three films are a great and diverse portrayal of love and lovers across time...here's hoping we get more from Jesse and Celine in nine more years.
Recommended for: Fans of not only intelligent romance, but of sophisticated and sharp drama. It is observed that the film is set in Greece, the birthplace of tragedy, and this association is played for effect. You'll have to see it for yourself if you've come this far already.