I wrote this right after I watched the movie a year ago. I'm reposting it here, since it seems an appropriate post with all our other reviews for shows...As I skim it while re-formatting it, I notice it's more of a personal reaction, but that's okay. Just a more personal, less objective "review." I hope it sways someone out there to join the "Before" series cult. :)
Just a little introduction to those who have never heard of this series: Before Midnight came out in May 2013 and is the third in a series of movies featuring the relationship between an American named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and a Frenchwoman named Celine (Julie Delpy). The actors themselves are of the same nationalities as their characters, not coincidentally I believe. (Although Delpy became a U.S. citizen in 2001, so technically she is now a French-American actress.) The first movie, Before Sunrise, came out in 1995, and is the story of how they first met on a train through Europe's countryside and their impromptu adventures through Vienna over 24 hours before Jesse boards a plane to leave for America at sunrise - hence the movie's name. Before Sunset came out in 2004 and picks up their story in real-time, so also 9 years later. Nine years after that is this movie, Before Midnight, with the actual story again in real-time. As far as public knowledge goes, the two sequels were never planned, and each time, the question of whether or not to do another sequel was left up in the air. Luckily for us fans, they have kept up with the sequels and at the regularly spaced 9 years. It's a very unique set-up since the movies are spaced out so far apart, and unlike other series, it's completely not known (or rather disclosed to the public) if the 3 (director Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy) are planning another sequel.
It's also awesome to note that while Hawke and Delpy were only involved with the acting of the first film, they have been more involved in the 2 sequels, listed as writers for both. In news reports, the 3 seem to work very closely together and this series is touted as their love-child as the movies have not garnered much box-office earnings or wide-spread attention but definitely has earned critical acclaim and a strong cult following, which includes me.
What is unique about the movies is that the format is super minimalistic - it is literally Jesse and Celine talking (sometimes walking and talking, gasp) about everything and anything from love to politics to fortune-telling. And that's it. But that's what's so great about it. This is film-making at its best. It strips away all the unnecessary, distracting special effects, CG, stunts, or even special angles and lets good writing and acting shine. Think of the magic of silent films, like The Artist (2011). Hawke and Delpy have a palpable chemistry with plenty of sparks and witty banter to go around that it's surprising that they did not end up marrying each other in real life. Anyway, it's such a quirky lovely series. A definite must-see for anyone looking for something different and realistic in terms of romantic movies.
And just one last promo bit: Each of the 3 movies from this series have gotten >90% from both the critics and the audience on Rotten Tomatoes (except for Midnight for audience): Before Sunrise earned 100% from critics, 93% from audience members. Before Sunset received 95% from critics, 92% from the audience. Before Midnight - 98% for critics. Midnight was listed as the 2nd best reviewed film of 2013 on Rotten Tomatoes, after Gravity, but only earned $8.1M in the box-office - measly compared to the $274.1M earned by Gravity. This just goes to show how underrated these films are. Please check it out if you ever find the time. It's such a disservice to humanity that these films are not better known.
Now, without further ado, my "review" for Before Midnight, written almost a year ago. (Although if I have already convinced you to try the series out, I don't recommend continuing with my review, since I put in a lot of - not necessarily spoilers - but a lot of my favorite lines from the movie, which I guess are actually "spoilers" given that these movies are all about the script/dialogue.)
And just one last promo bit: Each of the 3 movies from this series have gotten >90% from both the critics and the audience on Rotten Tomatoes (except for Midnight for audience): Before Sunrise earned 100% from critics, 93% from audience members. Before Sunset received 95% from critics, 92% from the audience. Before Midnight - 98% for critics. Midnight was listed as the 2nd best reviewed film of 2013 on Rotten Tomatoes, after Gravity, but only earned $8.1M in the box-office - measly compared to the $274.1M earned by Gravity. This just goes to show how underrated these films are. Please check it out if you ever find the time. It's such a disservice to humanity that these films are not better known.
Now, without further ado, my "review" for Before Midnight, written almost a year ago. (Although if I have already convinced you to try the series out, I don't recommend continuing with my review, since I put in a lot of - not necessarily spoilers - but a lot of my favorite lines from the movie, which I guess are actually "spoilers" given that these movies are all about the script/dialogue.)
Finally got around to watching this movie today (Dec 30, 2013). I’m typing up some random quotes from the movie interspersed with my thoughts to the aroma of dinner cooking downstairs… <3 winter break
Anna: My grandmother’s mother wrote to our whole family a 26 page letter from her deathbed. And she spent three pages on the costumes she did for a play and only one paragraph on her husband…She was a seamstress…and she had all these wonderful friends. And about my great-grandfather, she mentioned three events—he went to the war, we moved because of his job, and he died. Her big advice was to not be too consumed with romantic love. Friendships and work, she said, brought her the most happiness.
Ariadni: I couldn't agree more. I mean that’s the thing that fucks us up, right? This idea of a soul mate, of someone who will come to complete us, and save us from having to take care of ourselves.I don’t think the great grandmother is putting down love, period, but just the whirlwind, naive, fairy tale love. And I don’t think she’s saying that you should never want to experience or pursue it because it’s such a natural part of growing up, but simply that one should grow out of it because it’s not healthy or realistic to be consumed by that for your whole life—that life has more to offer and is more thrilling than just that.
Celine: Remember that letter that you let me read that you wrote when you were 20 to yourself at 40?
Jesse: Yeah I remember the first sentence. ‘Dear 40-year-old Jesse, I hope you’re not divorced.’
Celine: No, I didn't even remember that part. I meant all the other things in that letter. You’re the same guy. We always think we’re evolving, but we maybe can’t change that much.She said the same thing in Before Sunrise. How apt. Even back then, I had the same reaction (how apt) because I don’t like some (maybe same) things about myself and I want to believe we do evolve and can change…
Jesse: Every year, I seem to get a bit more humbled and more overwhelmed about all the things I’m never going to know or understand.
Celine: That’s what I keep telling you—you know nothing.
Jesse: I know. I’m coming around.
Celine: But not knowing is not so bad. I mean, the point is to be looking, searching, to stay hungry, right?
Jesse: Yeah, it’s true. I just wish it was easier…just to maintain a certain level of passion, you know? I mean, it used to come so naturally…I think you’ve got to be a little deluded to stay motivated.
There is a little bit of the 20-something Celine and Jesse still in them. I just wish I could still have conversations like this 5, 10, 20, 50 years into my relationship/marriage, or just down the line in general.
Jesse: Yes, I heard you. Oh, what, that you don’t love me anymore? I figured you didn’t mean it, but if you did, then—oh fuck it. Know something? You’re just like the little girls and everybody else. You want to live inside some fairy tale. I’m just trying to make things better here. I tell you that I love you unconditionally, I tell you you’re beautiful, I tell you that your ass looks great when you’re 80…I’m trying to make you laugh.
Celine: Okay
Jesse: I put up with plenty of your shit. And if you think I’m just some dog who’s going to keep coming back, you’re wrong. But if you want true love, then this is it. This is real life. It’s not perfect. but it’s real. And if you can’t see it, then you’re blind, all right, and I give up.I just love so many things about the ending.
It’s like Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke had meant for there to be (at least) 3 movies all along just so that they can work up to this brilliant finale. The first one was so romantic in every Disney sense of the word, the second one passionate and full of broken hearts, the third so real. I love that Jesse tried to get Celine back after their big fight first with the time machine slip again like he did back when they first met on the train, but the only difference is that back it worked back then, but it doesn’t work anymore. Now, what worked was Jesse telling her brashly that love is really really really hard. This time, Celine’s face wasn’t a look of innocent trusting “oh whatthefuckery I’ll give this a shot” but a look of crushed dreams—but that’s what it takes to keep them going. I’m so glad they will, because they are so amazing together. I could listen to them chatter away everyday.
I love that Celine is typically the hard realist and Jesse the naive romantic, but in the final scene of the movie, there was a great reversal—where Mr. Romantic has an amazing practical side to him, and Mrs. Realist/Pessimist has had a deeply romantic side to her that she has been denying for so long (I always feel this pressure of being a strong and independent icon of womanhood, and without making it look my whole life is revolving around some guy. But loving someone, and being loved means so much to me. We always make fun of it and stuff. But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?—from Before Sunrise) and now has to come to terms with—oh her face showed it all—but that moment, that reversal is what kept them together, at least this time around.
(Watching the sunset together.)Here’s hoping to (another) encore.
Celine: Still there…still there…still there…still there…gone.
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