Since most movie trilogies involve men in tights beating seven shades out of each other, the idea of one which follows a couple at different stages of their relationship as they do something as unremarkable as walk and talk, has the refreshing quality of a lungful of sea air. The third installment of Richard Linklater’s Before… trilogy takes a look at what happens after – after the spontaneity of falling in love, after the romance of reconnecting with the one that got away; when real life breaks down romance leaving something which is much more compelling and real.
It is nine years since we last saw Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). When we catch up on them, they are on the last day of a six week holiday in Greece and on the precipice of a crisis. Jesse is keenly feeling the separation from his teenage son who lives with his ex wife in Chicago. Celine meanwhile is about to take on a new career back in Paris and is railing against what she sees as a lack of support from her partner. Over the course of the day, the couple fall in and out of love with one another as they face the changes in their relationship.
The trio of Hawke, Delpy and Linklater have managed something of a miracle with these films in that they strike the perfect balance between the heart and the head. Before Midnight continues this trend – it is clever without being cold, intellectual without being pretentious and is both funny and moving. Aside from the customary walking and talking, Linklater has expanded the world of the films to give some context for Celine and Jesse’s relationship. A scene of a dinner party is particularly moving as couples at different stages of their lives give their opinions on the changing nature of love – it’s a fantastic scene, witty and wise.
Again, Delpy and Hawke are wonderful together and the easy chemistry shared by the co-stars is echoed in the whole mood of the film. It exudes an irresistible charm and from beginning to end, Before Midnight is a pleasure to watch.