Review of Before Midnight (2013) by Bleat0124 — 05 May 2014

My comments will be directed mostly towards the writing of the movie. I thought it was a beautiful looking movie. Midnight has a more realistic look to it. In terms of the picture, it is not better or worst looking than the first two, it is just different--intentional different, I think.

This is the best written film. The most romantic, I think. It was easy for the two characters to fall in love in the first movie. They were young, experimental, and free. In the second movie, they have been disappointed by love, but the desire was still there and the biggest huddle they had to leap was the institute of marriage. This movie may seem depressing and full of hateful speech, but these are my arguments that this is the most romantic movie of all three.

1. Celine is trying to make herself fall out of love with Jessie, and she is trying to make Jessie fall out of love with her. She says at one point that Jessie bread does not have the same color it had when he was young. If you remember, she mentioned in sunrise that this was one of her favorite physical feature of him. In her mind, she is trying to construct arguments that would let her reach the conclusion that she does not love him anymore. This is one of her arguments to herself. Jessie rebutted. Then she tries to argue that Jessie hinders her spirit to be a strong independent women. Jessie rebutted. However, leaving France is the one thing Celine will not do. This is not because she hates the United States so much. It is because, by going back to America, to Celine, Jessie admitting that he made a mistake nine years earlier. Celine does not want their love and their life and their children to be a mistake in Jessie's mind. This is why she does not let Jessie talks to her son on the phone, she would like to avoid the topic altogether, but it is eating away at him.

2. What is in question is not the fact that they love each other and that they want to be together, it is the fact that they are facing the biggest huddle in their relationship: "I **** up my whole life because of you." That is not what a women wants to hear, but in respects to his son, that statement is absolutely true. He choose Celine over his family back in America. Celine knows it is true, and she knows it does not means Jessie does not love her, but the only way she will admit it ( "it" being the fact that She and her daughters are Jessie's biggest mistake and biggest regret in regards to his son). How does a mother admit that her children and herself is a father's mistake, well she has to convince herself that she does not love him.

Of course this is art, and many other possible explanations of this movie are plausible. However, when I first seen the movie I felt the same way as many other fans. I felt like it was dark, and depressing, and I felt Celine was being unreasonable harsh. But if we were to truly ponder what Jessie is asking Celine to do, the fact that she is even considering it, is a testament to how strong and powerful their love is and has always been. This is the most romantic movie because the huddle they have to jump to maintain their love is taller than it was in the first two movies.

A few comments on the ending. Yes, as one user suggested, it ended in "the eye of the storm." I'm not sure that is a bad thing. However, the last conversation I felt was very important. Did Celine surrender? I think when she broke into the character of the "stupid, simple girl" that Jessie is suppose to want, it represented the most heartbreaking moment of the series. Heartbreakingly sad, or heartbreakingly romantic. This movie gives you the chance to pick. Best Three American romance movies ever.

How did 12 Years a Slave win best screenplay? Go pick up a history book and read, you will have the same experience as watching 12 years a Slave--beautiful looking movie, but no new twist to the same story. That is another issue.