Unreviewable Films: Before Midnight [2013]
(Spoilers ahead)
I’d hate to come off as insane. After all, I don’t know Jesse and Céline (nor do they exist), but with Sunrise and Sunset, I grew to love them and care for them and their relationship. That’s why I feel Before Midnight toyed with my emotions.
It showed me the decline of a couple, the evaporation of a love that had resisted through thousands of kilometers of separation and endured divorce, deaths and letdowns. These people were made for each other and now they fight bitterly and cruelly.
The love is gone but so is the respect, which is sometimes more important. And then they start to (sort of) make up in the end, when real damage has been done and horrible things cannot be unsaid.
Maybe it was because I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a home where everybody gets along (most of the time, at least) and my parents have never ever said a truly terrible thing to one another, much less get violent, but Before Midnight made me feel like crap, like my own father and mother were falling out of love in front of me and I had to sit and watch them argue and offend each other.
After a discussion in the car, Céline gives Jesse and their once-fairytale relationship a death sentence. From that point on, nothing is ever the same.
The Greek locales are pretty, the writing is almost as sharp as in the previous installments and Delpy and Hawke are -of course- in top-form, so I appreciate the film, but I also resent it a little for letting me know so violently that love fades, and that’s something I did not want to see in this trilogy.
Linklater’s latest and I have a love-hate relationship. You know, just like Jesse and Céline.
Beautiful movie, and still remains my favorite of the year so far. Good review.
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Thanks! As you can see, I had a hard time loving it but I certainly appreciate it. It’s a good ending to the trilogy, I guess. Just not the ending I wanted.
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Still yet to check this one out, really need to get on that! Great write up :).
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Thanks. I think the Before trilogy is essential viewing, so definitely needed to check out the latest one. Hope you see it soon.
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Sorry I only glanced at your review as I haven’t seen the last two films but I hear ya about being so emotionally invested in the characters.
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Don’t worry. You can get back to them once you do 😉 But yeah, I was so invested in their relationship that it hurt me seeing it fall apart.
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Oooo… spoiler alert!! I didn’t know anything about the plot of the third one, but ah well, I kind of got a hint from some people on Twitter. It’s tough to go into a movie blind these days, ahah.
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I’m sorry! Thought you knew! Glad I didn’t completely spoil it and that you heard something on Twitter. If it helps, I had an idea beforehand as well but the movie never ceased to surprise me.
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He..he.. no worries! Yeah I heard it on someone’s blog and on Twitter also. That’s ok though, it’s not like it’s the twist on Sixth Sense or something, now THAT’d be a total spoiler!
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LOL. Yeah, you’re right.
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Btw, I meant to say I LOVE the poster you chose for this post!!
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Thanks! Pretty cool, huh?
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Well now I have it all spoiled for me. It’s a trilogy and just that? 😦
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It does have a very open ending. So I wouldn’t rule out another one. In fact, I’d like a fourth installment.
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This is one of my favourites of the year. It was a much more difficult watch than the previous two but to me, it was a much more believable film. It could have just been another fairytale story but it shows the genuine development of their relationship and kudos to Linklater for having the guts to go in that direction. Great review mate.
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Thanks. Yeah, agree it took guts. And while it could be considered a more believable direction I really didn’t want this for Jesse and Celine, haha
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I just watched this last week after revisiting the first two. It made me sad when they fought, but I kind of understood and I still really enjoyed it. I just love that they made these films, so wonderful that they span real time.
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Glad you enjoyed it. ‘Before’ is among my favorite trilogies. This one made me so sad but I just think it’s a wonderful set of films and I can’t wait to own them all on Blu-Ray. The writing is just magnificent. Love that they span real time too.
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Jesse and Celine fight, but I never got the impression that they stopped loving eachother. Take the scene in the hotel when they are fighting. Celine walks out and Jesse just sits there. after 2 mins, she comes back in to argue more. This tells me that she still wants to be involved with him and talk more. If she really was upset, she would have left and the movie would be over. Relationships are a tricky thing. There are going to be rough spots and this movie showed them. Great review
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Thanks. You made a good point. And while I agree that it’s natural for relationships to have rough spots, I did feel like I was seeing them fall out of love. It was hard seeing that as I had just seen the previous movies.
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