Before Midnight

Plot synopsis:
Nine years have passed since Before Sunset. Jesse and Céline have become a couple and parents to twin girls. Jesse struggles to maintain his relationship with his teenage son, Hank, who lives in Chicago with Jesse's ex-wife. After Hank spends the summer with Jesse and Céline on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, Jesse drops him off at the airport to fly home. Jesse is a successful novelist, while Céline is at a career crossroads, considering a job with the French government.
The couple discuss their concerns about Hank, and then about Céline's choices for her career. Over dinner they talk more about love and life. Friends staying with them pay for a hotel room so they can have a night alone. While walking to the hotel, the couple reminisce about coming together. After reaching the hotel, they have a fierce argument, expressing fears about their present and future together. Among other issues, Jesse wants them to move to Chicago so he can be closer to Hank, which Céline thinks will cost her any chance of a life outside her family. In the heat of the argument, Céline tells Jesse she no longer loves him.
Céline leaves their room and sits alone in the hotel's outdoor restaurant. Jesse joins her and jokes that he is a time traveler bringing her a letter from her 82-year-old self, describing this night as one of the best of their lives. Unamused, Céline says their fantasies will never match the imperfect reality. Jesse proclaims his love, saying he does not know what else she could want. After a moment, Céline joins in Jesse's joke, and the two seem to reconcile.

Tags: boring, romantic, fantasy, philosophical, storytelling

Review:
There's a one-take during a car drive that lasts probably ten minutes (before a brief cut away), however, it goes on for probably another ten minutes (and Linklater said he could have kept the whole take, but needed to show ruins along the country side and cut away for script purposes, not performance.) There's a 30 minute scene of the two actors in a hotel room and I didn't even notice it (by that time I was so invested in the characters and their actions and emotions I wasn't even aware of time, it wasn't until the post screening Q&A that Linklater mentioned the actual time of the scene.) All three, Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke have matured into their rolls (writing, directing, acting) so easily that it's all just great fun for them and the audience.
This is a must see for many reasons (including the history of film--there's only one other modern trilogy where the final film is the best--LOTR, and their food budget was probably more than the total cost of BEFORE MIDNIGHT.)i could go on gushing about this movie ad nauseum, however I'll finish by saying that BEFORE MIDNIGHT is what indie film making (and the Sundance Film Festival) is all about--truly original, creative, unique, interesting characters and their stories, told outside the Hollywood system, by people passionate about their craft (and in this case at the top of their craft)..
I just saw Richard Linklater's Before Midnight his newest and third film about Jesse and Celine the couple who meet as young adults in Before Sunrise and re-meet as adults in Before Sunset (one of my five favorite films).This is simply brilliant film making: funny, raw, emotionally honest and complicated.
The film takes place at the tail end of a six-week vacation in Greece where Jesse has just dropped off his thirteen-year-old son Hank, from his previous marriage, at the airport for his return back to Chicago.
I was lucky enough to get tickets for the one of the Before Midnight- screenings at the Berlin Film Festival this year.Being a big fan of both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, I was truly thrilled to see this new (last?) chapter of Jesse and Celine's relationship.To sum up the story shortly without spoiling too much, we meet Jesse and Celine 9 years after the events of Sunset.
On the last day of their vacation in Greece, Jesse and Celine are trying to find the spark in their relationship again - we are dealing with a couple, like so many others, who in their 'middleage crisis' start asking themselves "where am I in my life, why do I live it this way, and does my husband/wife still love me?".For me, the relevance of the film, is its force, along with of course the acting and the script, which Hawke and Delpy again have written together with Linklater.
In my eyes, Midnight works very well for as an end to a trilogy, but the door is of course a little open for another sequel 9 years in the future (2022...?)Again, the acting is superb (the entire hotel scene is magnificent!), and dialog is so grounded, natural and strong and the film has relevance and could inspire a lot of couples struggling with their relationship to their partner.10/10.
In summary, while my favourite of the three movies remains Before Sunset, Before Midnight adds richly to the overarching story that has been told, in real time over 18 years, of two characters that fans of the series have grown to love.
This movie was written by not only the director, but also the two main actors, and this series is really their "baby" - you can tell much love and care went into these films, even though they are all shot very quickly and with a small budget.
Preceded by "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset", the film continues the story of Jesse and Celine, now a middle-aged, two child couple on vacation in Greece.
It doesn't hurt that the film was shot in Greece, but the picturesque beauty of that country comes second to the riveting portrayal of a couple at the stage of life where the often painful questioning of a couple's future begins.Two hours with these characters flew by, and as the credits rolled my first thoughts were about how much I really liked the film, and how I need to think more "out of the box" when it comes to selecting films to view.
Eclectic filmmaker Richard Linklater, known for such diverse films such as his debut indie feature Slacker and his wide appeal comedy School of Rock, understood the idea of life beyond the ending credits once he reintroduced his two romantic leads Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) with a chance encounter in Before Sunset after their initial meeting nine years earlier in Before Sunrise.
Before Midnight, the latest chapter of this ingenious film series, offers the creative staples that the romantic saga is known for with Linklater's consistently delicate observational style, Hawke and Delpy's engaged performances, philosophical witty banter relating to relationships, life, and more but this time unfolding the details of a relationship that has marinated beyond its initial romantic beginnings and changed into something far more palpable, strained, and relatable.
The collaborative writing between Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy demonstrates their immense understanding of their created characters and deliver their most uncomfortably emotional and richly life-affirming vignette in this particular reflective road stop in the lives of Jesse and Celine.
Before Midnight takes the initially romantic setups in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and expands them into their most logical and equally emotional prolongation where it expands the narrative strength, character vivacity, and philosophical importance of the series into a fully realized and painfully heartfelt whole that speaks uncomfortable truths in an engagingly entertaining way.Read more: http://wp.me/py8op-yV; more reviews: generationfilm.net.
Most people know that Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke started their conversational fictional companionship on film with "Before Sunrise" and then continued it with "Before Sunset." The first of these was shot in 1995, and the next followup was nine years later, and then this new one, nine years more.If you saw (and liked) the first two films as I did, this continuance alone makes "Before Midnight" worth checking out.
Unlike the previous 2 where their encounters were serendipitous and fleeting, this movie opens with them as a couple, with children, and plethora of issues!I was in love with Celine's character; this beautiful, smart, funny, and confident girl.
We all know what happens to relationships over a period of time ― in the beginning there's sparks and excitement and this can then lead to falling in love, but eventually reality decides to kick in and years down the line life becomes nothing but routine and full of arguments.
This of course is not the happiest thought in the world, so we turn to films to lighten the mood and bring back the belief of romantic love (which I strongly adhere to).I have adored the beautiful dream-like story of Jesse and Celine ever since I saw Before Sunrise ― meeting on a train in Vienna and taking a leap of faith, falling "a little bit in love" as they strolled around the city until morning where they vowed to meet again 6 months later.
Of course we learn in Before Sunset that this did not happen, but fate brings them together once more, giving them a final chance at true love.Unfortunately, what I did not expect from Before Midnight was to be watching a couple I had admired for so long constantly argue for at least two thirds of this film, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I left the cinema.
Agreed, the acting of course was undeniably good and the script was as always clever, funny and a little shocking, but this does not make up for the unsatisfying ending and having to see the couple I loved so much ridicule each other almost to death.Okay, maybe I have seen one too many fairy tales, but for me, watching something like this is completely illogical, especially since the main reason I go to see a movie in the first place is for escapism, not to get a reality check!.
The film takes place in Paris eighteen years after Jesse (Ethan Hawke), a then young American aspiring writer first meets Celine (Julie Delpy), a French graduate student on her way to Paris from Vienna.
As in the first two films, the third consists mostly of extended rapid-fire conversations between Jesse and Celine as well as with Jesse's literary friends with whom they are spending six weeks at a writer's workshop in Greece.At an outdoor luncheon at 85-year-old Patrick's (Walter Lassally) villa, talk centers on a wide range of subjects such as whether books are still viable in the modern age of computers, how different age groups relate to love and romance, and other relevant topics that sound "deep." To make sure we know that the film is "edgy," Linklater sprinkles the dialogue with cutesy references to sex, orgasm, and genitalia that feels as if one has wandered into a high school cafeteria rather than a gathering of artists and intellectuals.
But the sexual politics are about as profound as Men Are from Mars Women Are From Venus, and there's nothing much to care about in Jesse and Celine's big fight, because by that point in the film, we don't like either of them enough to care.Before Midnight represents a colossal lapse of self-awareness by Linklater, and an even more embarrassing load of self-absorption from its stars and co-authors..
But I don't watch a movie for that!I look for inspiration in a film, quality conversations, ingeniousness, great shots and that special feeling that life is a unique and marvelous gift.
The third installment in the series destroys everything that you loved and cared about the two most fascinating and enchanting characters that were painstakingly built on a refreshing premise of two normal people exploring a world of stuff over a string of conversations over exotic locations.The Celine and Jesse you came to grow so close are nowhere to be seen here.
It may be realistic, but it's sure uncomfortable to watch at times.We catch up with Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) in Greece, where they are vacationing with their twin daughters.
It's not entertaining, even if it's real, like eavesdropping on an old married couple across the hall while they argue about duvets or table runners or something equally mundane, only with the conviction of Patrick Henry asking for liberty.As with the earlier films, the movie focuses almost exclusively on conversations between our two leads, with two exceptions: one is a group dinner in which (surprise) truths are revealed, and the other is two scenes in one, with Jesse talking to the men in the film and Celine to the women.
Not only do you get the grandiose, adolescent philosophizing you've grown to know and love from the first two films, Linklater now treats you to extended real-time couples' arguments with one special added bonus: you can't get up and leave the room.If you're in the middle of the 'Before' series, it's not too late to stop now.
Hawke is more annoying in Before Sunrise & Before Sunset actually thought his acting was very good in this one positive.Julie Delpy totally different hated her character If another Before is made in hoping there an elderly couple.
The beauty of the fleeting moment, the transient nature of things.In this third movie in the franchise we once again meet Jesse and Celine - this time nine years after Before Sunset and in a rather different situation than earlier.
Usually when you hear the word trilogy in the film world you think about summer blockbusters with massive explosions, aliens and/or machines destroying earth and morons with performance enhanced muscles quickly driving expensive performance enhanced cars, but somehow Richard Linklater's (Bernie, Dazed and Confused) wonderfully touching Before series (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset & Before Midnight) has found a way to slip through the cracks.Just like he did with the first two films, Linklater brings us back into Jesse & Celine's evolving love story an astonishing nine years after the last chapter.
Whether it's because the two actors helped write their story, or if they've just lived inside these characters for so long is hard to saybut whatever the caseJesse & Celine may be the most realistic believable characters in the history of American cinema.By showcasing the flaws we all have, Before Midnight isn't always easy to watch, but it's pure honesty makes it the best movie of the year to date.
Those looking for a sappy Hollywood love story may not be pleased with the honest reflection of life that the film provides, but fans of Jesse & Celine are sure to be pleased by the latest chapter and excited to see what happens in the next 9 years.
But, I finally made it to this one at it's premiere at the Sydney Film Festival.If you loved Sunrise, felt Sunset, then you would want to live Midnight, as brutal as it is at times.I shall not spoil the specifics of the story because the scenes are the specifics.
The chatter, at times homage to early screwball comedies, never grates and gives an authentic feel, as if we were overhearing conversation at the next table.As the committed couple ramps up the intensity of the disagreement, which starts with his veiled attempt to have her leave her career in Paris to move with him to Chicago to be near his son, the language takes on universal meaning to the extent that most 40 something's in the audience can appreciate the challenges children inevitably bring to romance.Director Richard Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke collaborated on the script, and it shows.
A further nine years later, this long-awaited film was rolled out this May.The story is about an American student, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), who has fallen in love with a French student, Celine (Julie Delpy), on the train to Vienna.
There's also a great scene, unlike the other two movies, where the couple converses with other people, all of whom have their own theories on love and life.
The ultimate goal of the storyteller is to leave the listener or listeners thirsty for more.Before Midnight accomplishes just this, and for the third time in the indie darling series.This dramatically beautiful film follows the lives of two characters that avid moviegoers have come to know about and love for the past two decades.
But with the right characters, the right story, and the ability to keep you engaged, keep you guessing, keeps you begging for more, even a simple movie about two people in love just talking can become the most beautiful of films.
Finally in this movie I liked very much the whole story because at the start we have two young people who fell in love and after two decades we see them be together, I think that's the best part of this trilogy!.
You can either stay in that relentless circle of love or you can try on your own, and maybe find yet another circle.In Before Midnight, Linklater best accomplishment is to inspire all of that reasoning with a film riddled with flaws, that feels as tired of itself as the couple, as if it was a due paper work you must fill in order to go on with your life, something unpleasant that has to be done rather than delaying it any more.
Before Midnight is a delightful, bitingly realistic, and sometimes uncomfortable but wonderfully truthful and romantic film about the two incredibly well-written, '90s defining characters Jesse and Celine.The movie follows Jesse, a kind American writer, and Celine, a resolute and intelligent French woman, 18 years after they first met on a train bound for Vienna - that last statement I think everyone is familiar with.
The movie expands on their brilliant love story - this time with a few quarrelsome complications.Before Midnight is arguably not only the best film of the "Before" trilogy, but also the best film of the year.
Not so with Before Midnight, Richard Linklater's absolutely delightful addition to what has become a trilogy of tender, intensely romantic films about falling - and staying - in love in the real world.We first met Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) eighteen years ago in Before Sunrise, when they were idealistic young adults who meet by chance on a train bound for Vienna.
Eighteen years later, and we once again get to look in on the lives of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) for a day.
'BEFORE MIDNIGHT': Four Stars (Out of Five) Director Richard Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reteam to tell the continuing story of Jesse and Celine for the third time (following 1995's 'BEFORE SUNRISE' and 2004's 'BEFORE SUNSET').
Linklater wrote the script with Hawke and Delpy (the three also co-wrote the last film) and it once again picks up nine years after the previous film (just as the second film did) and focuses on Jesse and Celine's troubled relationship as they live with their twin daughters in Greece.
As with the previous two films the movie is full of long dialogue scenes that seem like you're actually watching two real people talk about life.
If that's something you enjoy in a film you'll probably like this movie.The film begins with Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) now nine years into their relationship as a couple, living with their twin daughters (Jennifer and Charlotte Prior) in Greece.
We meet Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) nine years on in Greece.
These are conversations that are simultaneously mundane and crackling with intelligence at the same time.The people who have watched the other two films will obviously get the better audience experience, since they can note the differences (and similarities) in the way Jesse and Celine act.