Writing a review for Before Midnight is somewhat futile. If you’ve seen the prior two films chronicling the relationship between Jesse and Celine, 1995’s Before Sunrise and 2004’s Before Sunset, you will undoubtedly see this one no matter what I have to say about it. If you haven’t seen the previous films you obviously shouldn’t see Before Midnight because it would be like walking in on a play at the beginning of the third act. Because of that I won’t reveal anything about the plot of Before Midnight in this review — both fans of the series and newcomers should catch up with Jesse and Celine on their own.
What I will say is that I absolutely floored by yet another astounding achievement from director/co-writer Richard Linklater, and stars/co-writers Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. I am sure that over the next nine years — the length between each entry so far — I will often think about the questions raised about love, marriage, parenthood and responsibility in Before Midnight.
While Delpy and Hawke are the same characters, the twenty-three year old Jesse and Celine whom we met in 1995 are gone. In fact, perhaps the only negative thing I can say about Before Midnight is that it has taken a couple from a timeless romantic story and did the unthinkable — age them. What would happen if we peered in on Cinderella and Prince Charming almost two decades after “Happily Ever After”? In a world in which relationships tend to fail more often than not, how long does that “ever after” actually last? In fact, the film’s title does not just fit the series’ pattern, it also recalls the time when the enchantment fades in Cinderella and other fairy tales. At one point during the film the pair talk about how fairy tales always end in marriage, and with so many people seeing Jesse and Celine’s story as a modern cinema fairy tale it is emotionally powerful to see Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke return to this romance and move it in a completely different direction, one that is just as moving as the earlier entries but in a vastly different way. After all, what could be more heartbreaking than adding time to a supposedly timeless romance?
At 108 minutes, Before Midnight is the longest film of the series and appropriately so runs a much longer gauntlet of emotions than the prior films. There were parts that left me heartbroken. Yet at the same time it is also the funniest, probably because we’ve gotten to known Jesse and Celine so well over the years that it is easy to see ourselves in their experiences — in fact, Before Midnight humanizes Jesse and Celine (and their relationship) in a way the other two films didn’t. Here there is much more to discover about who Jesse and Celine really are because we actually see them have significant interactions with other individuals — something not present in the prior films. What Linklater, Delpy and Hawke have done with these three films is create one of the most remarkable cinematic achievements of the last few decades. One of the things I’ve always admired about Linklater is that he has never followed a career path nor stuck to trends as a director — he is fiercely independent, even when he makes mainstream films like School of Rock. In many ways, he is the most daring American filmmaker of the last three decades, and we are lucky that he remains so prolific and willing to challenge himself.
I’ve seen some argue that the Before series isn’t cinematic since they are mostly two people talking. I’d argue the complete opposite — there is something so beautifully cinematic in the sense that two characters’ words and the brilliantly framed shots can be so moving. With that in mind, there is little doubt in my mind that the trio will re-team for a fourth film around 2022, which will be when the characters are both fifty. In fact, at one point in this film Jesse and Celine talk about what their lives will be like in their nineties. Anyone else interested in staying along for the ride?
RATING: I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed or was transfixed by a film to this degree. If you have followed Jesse and Celine’s journey so far, trust me, you will be greatly rewarded for continuing to follow them (10/10).
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