Before Midnight (2013)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Richard Linklater

Country

United States | Greece

Cast

Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Prior, Charlotte Prior, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Walter Lassally, Ariane Labed, Yiannis Papadopoulos, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Panos Korinos

Plot

Nine years after they last met in Paris, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) have become a couple, they live in Paris and they are parents to twin girls, Ella (Jennifer Prior) and Nina (Charlotte Prior).

Spent a summer in Greece, and come the time to send Jesse's teenage son (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) off to the States, Jesse begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Céline is at risk.

Opinion

Third chapter of the story between Jesse and Céline, along with Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, Before Midnight is the most honest attempt to show human beings and life as they are, without any filters, and without hiding the worst of all this. 

Still wrote by Linklater, Hawke and Delpy, despite the dramatic tension, the dialogues are more humoristic in this film.

It is impossible to not appreciate the fact that the actors are growing up and getting older along with their characters, changing physically and mentally.

It is nice that the film was shot in Greece, but the beauty of the country comes second to the portrayal of the couple.

The performances are fantastic, and the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is still the same of 18 years ago. There is a supporting cast, although Hawke and Delpy make the film work by themselves.

Quotes

Natalia: Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but we are just passing through.

Jesse: If you want love, then this is it. This is real life. It's not perfect but it's real.

Rating

9.0/10