Before Midnight (2013)

When Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke got together in 1994 to make a small little movie about two attractive young people who fall in love over the course of one night, the possibility of turning it into a series likely never crossed anyone’s mind. On its own, Before Sunrise is just a ridiculously charming, romantic doodle. In reality, it turned out to be the first step in a much longer and more involving journey. Nine years later, Before Sunset reunited Hawke and Delpy and had them come to terms with the direction their lives have headed. And now, with Before Midnight, any sense of youthful vitality seen in the first two is gone, and along with it the sense of discovery. Before Sunrise and Before Sunset were almost blindingly romantic in the way they portrayed the central relationship. Before Midnight puts forth the theory that even the most powerful of emotions may have an expiration date.

Fans of the Before… movies are probably better off going into Before Midnight knowing as little as possible, but the most important thing to know is that it actually does away with a good chunk of the formula that made the first two installments famous. It is still made up almost entirely of long, super-intelligent conversations between Hawke and Delpy, but it adds in several other factors that weren’t in the first two. For one, the plot no longer involves Hawke and Delpy meeting each other again after nine years apart. They are now very familiar with each other, and in many ways they’re trying to find new and exciting things to talk about. Before Midnight also throws new characters into the conversational mix, forcing Hawke and Delpy to divulge their grand theories about life and relationships to couples both older and younger than they are. The first two films were just about them. Now that the courtship is complete, Before Midnight focuses much more on how the outside world and other extraneous factors can actually impact their relationship. There are children and families and careers to think about.

Then comes the climax, which may almost seem like sacrilege to people who worship the beauty of the first two installments. However, anyone who really paid attention to the content of the first two Before… movies will probably realize that it falls right in line with the series’ overall point of view. There’s a fundamental sadness to these characters, and it’s been creeping to the surface ever since the beginning. These are two people who have always had trouble with serious relationships and have made a lot of mistakes in their lives, and the ultimate drama of this film comes from certain familial regrets and desire to make them right. The last act of this movie is absolutely shattering in the best possible way, and it always feels absolutely and utterly real. People have already written about how one character’s stance may be more valid than the other, but I can almost guarantee there are just as many audience members who will take the other side. The inevitable arguments are part of the point. I’m not entirely sure where the series can go from here if Linklater and his actors decide to continue with it, but through three films they have put together a masterpiece of a series that is romantic, mesmerizing and gorgeous to look at while also making sure to stay away from blind optimism. These characters may be made for each other, but that doesn’t mean things can’t break bad at any moment.

Grade: A