Review of Before Midnight (2013) by Maria V — 23 Dec 2013

Richard Linklater's "Before Midnight," I imagine, is exactly what should qualify as a "talkie." Granted, the first "talkies" debuted nearly 90 years ago, but "Before Midnight" (like "Before Sunrise" and "Sunset" before it) is all talking. Consider the long car ride Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) share towards the beginning of the film: It's a (nearly) thirteen minute scene without any cuts. This allows for their conversation to develop naturally, and it also gives us a chance to absorb Jesse and Celine - to catch up with them. It's been 9 years since we last saw Jesse and Celine and they are now married with twin daughters. What was once a series of playful discussions of a limitless future has become realities of the present. There are still many discussions of the future, but the "limitless" future is coming to an end; the new discussions of the future are about real problems - problems that could cause any relationship to shatter. But this is Jesse and Celine. They know each other better than they know themselves. Right?

"Before Midnight" takes place at the end of a wonderful summer (Jesse's son called it the "best summer" of his life before Jesse sent him back to the United States to live with his mother). Jesse and Celine (and their two daughters and Jesse's son) spent the summer in Greece with friends. We can assume they've spent the entire summer embracing each other in the warmth of their love and the Greece sun. But with summer coming to an end, Jesse and Celine (and their married friends) question what makes love work (and what makes love real). In this scene we see characters who could have been plucked from a Woody Allen script. There are many insights shared about love and existentialisms that could make you question whether or not you believe in true love. The rest of the movie will test Jesse and Celine to see if they, in fact, have true love.

Their love is put to the test with intense conversations. It's almost as if they're letting go of any bottled-up resentment in one night. They find themselves in a hotel room (thanks to a gift from their friends) with the hopes of spending an intimate night together (followed by a couples massage). As they are getting ready to make love, they begin to talk. At first, Jesse and Celine are shot in close-ups, and we feel more intimate with them, too. Gradually, however, Jesse and Celine are shot further and further away from each other - until they are in separate rooms. In fact, the doorway which physically separates them is seen in the foreground of each shot of Jesse and Celine (which makes them feel even further away). That doorway serves as a net in a tennis match, and we watch as Jesse and Celine takes shots back and forth.

They say that communication is key to the success of any relationship. "Before Midnight" shows how communication can be both a strong and detrimental component to any relationship. In an age of explosions, superhero movies, and gross-out movies, it's a nice welcome to study people in real situations who use their words to solve their problems.