By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Charlotte Prior | Ethan Hawke | Jennifer Prior | Julie Delpy | Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 108
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2209418/combined
Chris says: “*Minor spoilers ahead*
“Though not a flawless film, Richard Linklater’s BEFORE SUNRISE concluded almost perfectly: its open-endedness exuded a lovely power as it revisited all the spaces its two leads Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) inhabited on a one-night chance meeting in their early 20s Nine years later, the notion of a sequel initially seemed blasphemous, but BEFORE SUNSET surprisingly not only improved on nearly every of its predecessor’s strengths but also made brilliant use of that time gap: it let us in on the most intimate details of aging influencing how we weigh our actual accomplishments against our missed opportunities. Playing out in real time, the film built up a sublime tension that reached its breaking point at another perfect, albeit far more sly cliffhanger of an ending.
“Nine years on, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy have reunited for a third chapter in what’s becoming a fictional variation on Michael Apted’s UP documentary series (which also revisits the same people/characters every x number of years). In its first 15 minutes, BEFORE MIDNIGHT gradually reveals what Jesse and Celine have been up to since we left them behind in the latter’s apartment; in the 90-odd minutes that follow, even more things come to light—some minor disclosures, a few pretty major admissions, all casually related as they appear in conversations and asides. In short, the two have been a couple ever since the last film’s final scene, and they’re currently on a summer vacation in Greece with their seven-year-old twin daughters. I won’t give any more details away, but it’s necessary to at least divulge this information before discussing what happens next.
“Like its predecessors, the film is primarily one of incessant and enlightening conversation between Jesse and Celine. After an unexpected but deeply touching opening that brings to fore an aspect of Jesse’s life only mentioned and not seen in BEFORE SUNSET, the film settles in to a lengthy, bravura driving sequence which not only brings us up to speed on where Jesse and Celine’s lives are at the moment, but also in who they are and how they relate to each other. Traces of a burgeoning argument suggest this is not going to be another romantic comedy or tale of love limited by time and space–they are recognizably the same two people of the first two films, but their relationship now contains an actual history shaped by day-to-day familiarity and routine. Linklater, once again crafting the screenplay with input from Hawke and Delpy, wisely narrows in on this changed dynamic.
“With the emotional rush of newfound love stripped away, a very different tension emerges. Despite Jesse and Celine’s obvious love for each other (somewhat deceptively heightened by the idyllic Mediterranean backdrop it plays out against), we can’t help but notice a few cracks and fissures in what the two have built together. They remain undercurrents throughout the film’s midsection, occasionally surfacing in conversation or via an anecdote one of them tells an outsider. In fact, multiple reveals occur during an extended dinner party sequence that conveys how broader and more expansive the film is compared to the first two. Tellingly, the film also proves not as effective when Jesse and Celine share a space with three other couples, even if they all offer interesting predictions as to where the two will end up (or what could have been had they stayed together at 23).
“In the film’s last third, that gestating tension finally explodes in an extended fight of the kind we’ve feared since that initial argument in the car. However, it still feels like a shock thanks to the subtlety and intricacy with which Hawke and Delpy craft and portray their characters. This is Hawke’s best performance in all three films: he retains a fitting amount of Jesse’s childish behavior and goofy demeanor but while still a dreamer and an idealist, he’s matured to a point where you always sense his pragmatism regarding his relationship with Celine. Delpy comes off a tad more neurotic here (almost as if she’s drawing more from her character in her own 2 DAYS films) but you get a vivid idea of how motherhood and encroaching middle age has changed her. Their back-and-forth is not as venomous as what you’d find in a Bergman film, but it’s not unreasonable to alternately agree and disagree with each party—they’ve got the rapport of a long-term relationship down and its content and flow is remarkably honest and nuanced for a work of fiction.
“I’m finding it awfully hard to determine where BEFORE MIDNIGHT falls alongside the first two films. BEFORE SUNRISE only resonated for me much later—in fact, not until BEFORE SUNSET both completed the story it began and opened it up to make it about something more. If anything, this third film suggests an entirely different sort of story from what the other films proposed—one without an end in close range, like a chapter from the middle of a leisurely-paced novel. Fortunately, it’s one full of insights worth consuming and savoring. 5 cats“