Review of Before Midnight (2013) by Dobian — 17 Apr 2021
The "Before" series tells the story of a couple that talks, and talks, and talks...and talks. In Before Sunrise, Jesse and Celine meet on a train across Europe, and spend the night getting to know each other as they take a romantic walk through Vienna and engage in charming dialogue.
In Before Sunset, they reconnect in Paris nine years later, engage in more charming dialogue, and are a couple by the end of the film. In Before Midnight, nine years have passed again, and Jesse and Celine are now a middle-aged couple with twin girls and a lot of relationship baggage - mostly centered around Jesse's son and his ex-wife.
They still talk endlessly, but all the chatter has lost its charm. They talk their way through a sunset, talk their way through foreplay, and finally talk themselves into a big fight. Celine walks out of the room twice in one scene, immediately returning, I assume, because the not talking was killing her.
If there is ever a fourth entry to the series, I hope Jesse and Celine have learned that they need to STFU now and then, that sometimes silence is golden.
This review of Before Midnight (2013) was written by Dobian on 17 Apr 2021.
Before Midnight has generally received very positive reviews.
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