The only one of tree that counts

Rating: 7/10 (30 August 2019)

The "Before..." series was never my favorite of all the works of Richard Linklater. Sure without the trilogy, we probably won't have "Boyhood". Those movies are not perfect. Except this one.
"Before Sunrise" tries too much to appeal to a larger audience. Especially to the female part of it. It has cheesy dialogs, cutesy scenes, predictable ending, and overall it feels pretty tacky.
"Before Midnight", in turn, might be the worst of the trilogy. The characters supposed to be married for 9 years, but it feels like that they are no better than a couple of friends. In the first two movies they were strangers and despite the over-romantised feel of the first one, their growing relationship felt credible. Either it's the writing or the acting, but they are more distant than ever. Overall it's an unnecessary movie, but it's an essential entry in the trilogy.
So what makes "Before Sunset" better than the other two movies? It feels like and looks like the classic Linklater. Visually it's the most simple one, yet narratively it's the most complex and subtle one. It consists mostly of few long shots following the main characters. They talk about anything without really talking about their feelings. They say a lot between the lines.
It has the nihilist atmosphere like in "Slacker" or "Dazed and Confused" . This movie doesn't tell a story, but shows the emotions. We could not be aware about what happened 9 year ago between them, but still we will be engaged in what's happening here now. The electricity between the actors is so intense so you can actually believe that they are actually in love in the real life.
It has an open ending. It could be the last of the series. The follow-up is not important. Heck it could be even a single movie with no prequel or sequel. It's almost like it doesn't have a beginning or ending. Just right now. The only moment that counts. Classic Linklater.