In Before Midnight, the third and final installment of director Richard Linklater’s odes to romance, there’s a sly bit that reflects the personal baggage that fans of this trilogy brought to this film. Jesse (Ethan Hawke), the writer we’ve watched meet, fall for and settle down with Celine (Julie Delpy), tells some colleagues about a story idea of his. It involves a group of characters with unique quirks of perception: One has déjà vu, someone else has no facial recognition, another remembers everything, and so on. And they all see the same movie, but have far different reactions.
One’s receptiveness to Linklater’s Before trilogy – 1995’s Before Sunrise, 2004’s Before Sunset and this closer – might have a lot to do with where you were in your life when you were introduced to Jesse and Celine. Its fans tend to feel strongly connected, while less-smitten moviegoers might wince at its occasional pretentiousness. The range of filmgoer reactions seems only appropriate for these decidedly existentialist works that have as much to do with time and transience as they do with love.
For my money, Before Midnight is a profound and profoundly satisfying conclusion to a story that began back in 1995 when American Jesse met French Celine on a train bound for Vienna. As Before loyalists know, that initial meet-cute blossomed into another encounter nine years later in Paris. And that brings us up to date.
Before Midnight explores life after the starry-eyed gazes have worn off. Jesse and Celine, now essentially married and living in Paris with twin 7-year-old girls, are vacationing with friends in southern Greece. The locale is gorgeous, but troubles are brewing. Jesse wants them to move to the U.S. so he can play a bigger role in the life of his son from a previous marriage. Celine is pondering whether to take a cushy government job.
The film is composed of Jesse and Celine in long talks during long takes. That’s an appropriate approach. After all, these smart, articulate people are engaged in a verbal dance that winds inexorably toward an epic argument. Before Midnight, which Linklater wrote with his two stars, easily could have been a stage play. It is talky and there are only a handful of scenes. But with the exception of a dinner sequence that plays a bit too long, the movie never feels less than authentic. Its honesty and sharpness are remarkable.
Equally amazing is the depth of commitment from the principal actors. Hawke and Delpy know these characters inside and out, foibles and all, and their performances are fearless. They are not always likable – he’s a passive-aggressive manipulator, she’s the volatile “mayor of crazytown” – but they are always understandable. Witty, poignant and searching, Before Midnight is the perfect conclusion to Linklater’s trilogy.
Cutting to the Chase with Phil Bacharach 