Monday, May 27, 2013

Before Midnight Review

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."