Rated
R (Sexual Content/Nudity and Language)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes
Cast-
Ethan
Hawke-Jesse Wallace
Julie
Delpy-Céline
Seamus
Davey-Fitzpatrick-Hank Wallace
Jennifer
Prior-Ella
Charlotte
Prior-Nina
Walter
Lassally-Patrick
Xenia
Kalogeropoulou-Natalia
Athina
Rachel Tsangari-Ariadni
Panos
Koronis-Stefanos
Ariane
Labed-Anna
Yiannis
Papadopoulos-Achilleas
Directed
by Richard Linklater
 |
| Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite for Richard Linklater's "Before Midnight," nine years since the last installment. |
Note: Screened on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.
A
train travels through the Austrian countryside while Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas: Overture plays in the background.
In the coach car, a middle-aged couple starts arguing in German, prompting the
young woman sitting across from them to move toward the back. As she settles
into her new seat, she briefly makes eye contact with the young man now sitting
across from her. They share a brief smile as the arguing couple from before
rushes pass them on their way to the lounge car. Thus begins Richard Linklater's
"Before Sunrise," by far one of the best romance films of the last
twenty years. I remember feeling tears well up in my eyes as I watched Jesse and
Céline (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) hastily agree to meet each other
in six months on the same train because I knew in the back of my mind that
there was no way either of them would keep that promise. It was a foolish attempt
but that's what young people do and what made Linklater's film so memorable was
that it captured the spontaneity of romance, even if it only lasted for one night.
Although Hollywood loves to make sequels, "Before Sunrise" was the last
film anyone would expect to see a follow-up. Yet that's exactly what happened as
Hawke and Delpy reprised their roles nine years later for 2004's "Before
Sunset," with Linklater back in the director's chair. It was just as good (if
not better than) "Sunrise," with the two characters regretfully lamenting
on what might have been. The film closed with a perfect non-ending, an ellipses
if you will, leaving fans to wonder if they'll ever see Jesse and Céline again.
Well, it appears that Linklater has heard your prayers. Funny, heartfelt, brutally
honest, and just plain well-acted, "Before Midnight" arrives into
select theaters with another nine year gap and cements its status as the best film of 2013 so far.
It
has been eighteen years since Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy)
first met on a train bound for Vienna. The two reunited nine years prior and
now live together in Paris as an unmarried couple with their beautiful seven-year-old
twin daughters. Jesse continues to find success as a writer but environmental activist
Céline is beginning to suffer from burnout as she contemplates taking a government
job. On the last day of their summer vacation, spent at the villa of an aging
novelist (Walter Lassally) off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece, Jesse says good-bye
to Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), his fourteen-year-old son from his previous
marriage. During the drive back to the villa, he voices his regret to Céline
for not being able to spend more time with his son and wants to move to Chicago,
where he can be closer to him. However, Céline is resistant to the idea of uprooting
her whole life for Jesse. As the day progresses, the two look back on their past,
discussing love, life, and parenthood while wondering what the future holds for
them.
In
his own review for "Before Midnight," James Berardinelli mentions
French director Jean-Luc Godard, who famously stated that 'photography is
truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second.' Richard Linklater's
"Before" series has always prided themselves on their realness and that
tradition is proudly upheld in the third film. Like the previous two entries,
the focus is not on what happens but
on what is being said. One thing I really
love about these films is in observing the subtle details in Jesse and Céline's
interactions. In "Before Sunrise," our lovebirds visit a second-hand
record store and listen to Kath Bloom's Come
Here in a listening-booth, all the while making brief eye contact and looking
away. It's such a charming little scene (one of many) and you can't help but
smile at their awkwardness. After all, we were once like them. This sort of naiveté
is replaced with regret in "Before Sunset" and there's a heartbreaking
moment where Céline reaches out to comfort Jesse as he confesses his loveless marriage
but she pulls back just as he turns to her. In the nine years that have passed
since their reunion, Jesse and Céline have built a new life for themselves and
their twin daughters in Paris. However, it's far from 'happily ever after' for
them. During a ten-minute drive from the airport, their conversation is heavy
with the obligations of real life as Céline furiously debates with Jesse on whether
to take a government job. Her idealism in "Sunset" has slowly turned
to weariness. At the same time, Jesse is grappling with his own dilemma of not
seeing his son enough. They joke about their disagreements but it's immediately
clear that this is not the first time these topics have come up.
Although
the previous films were limited to Jesse and Céline, "Before Midnight"
appropriately expands the scope by having them interact with other characters.
The twenty-minute dinner sequence represents one of the funniest parts of the
film as everyone around the table engages in a lively philosophical debate on
the nature of romance and love, with Céline at one point pretending to be a 'dumb
blond'! Linklater also acknowledges how technology has changed the way people
connect (or not connect) with each other. Imagine how different it would be if
Jesse and Céline had met in an era of Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. The last
hour focuses exclusively on our central characters, and this is when the cracks
in their relationship begin to show. Their tone becomes tinged with bitterness and
this all culminates in a big fight set in a hotel room. It starts innocuously
enough, with Jesse wondering why Céline won't let him speak to Hank whenever he
calls. Things quickly take a turn for the worse as what was supposed to be a night
of passionate love-making turns into frightening and painful argument where Céline
lets loose with all her frustrations that carry the weight of thousands of years
of female oppression. Some of what they say cuts deep and it's a harsh reminder
of how all those years of love and trust can be torn apart in a matter of
minutes. The question of whether they'll stay together changes with the flow of
their conversation.
"Before
Midnight" may not be especially 'cinematic' but there's a rhythm to the dialogue
that holds your rapt attention. This is helped by the brilliant performances
from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Having collaborated with Linklater on the
scripts for all three films, these two know Jesse and Céline like the back of
their hand. In fact, it's hard to believe these two are acting at all given the
way they just melt into their characters. The rest of the cast includes Walter
Lassally, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Panos Koronis, Ariane Labed,
and Yiannis Papadopoulos and although their roles are small, each of them radiate
life. You feel like you know these people.
Also deserving a mention is the film's use of its Greek location. Similar to
Vienna and Paris, they exist on the periphery as Linklater never indulges in wide
shots. He instead uses these locations to add a sense of time and place to the proceedings.
In
limited release since May 24, 2013, "Before Midnight" has received glowing
reviews with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it for offering 'intelligent,
powerfully acted perspectives on love, marriage, and long-term commitment.' Although
the advance screening last Thursday didn't exactly draw a huge crowd, it was
clear that the film struck an emotional cord to those who showed up. In a
summer full of the usual blockbusters that overload on explosions and CG, "Before
Midnight" stands in stark contrast to those films by telling a story
that's not only real but painfully honest. This is a rare series that continues
to get better with each new follow-up, a mature work of art that serves as a
reminder that love will never be perfect yet that doesn't make it any less
worth pursuing.
Final
Rating: 5 out of 5
"Women explore for eternity in the vast garden of sacrifice."
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