Review of Before Midnight (2013) by Jessica T — 13 Dec 2013

Richard Linklater has created one of cinema's most beloved romantic pairs. "Before Midnight" explores the meaning of love and commitment within the transience of human existence.

Eighteen years after two strangers, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy), strike up a conversation on a train and begin a decades-spanning romance, complexities of marriage start to weigh on the couple. Verbal sparring between the pair is as impassioned and incisive as ever. The solipsistic nature of these characters allows for the trenchant insight and rich dialogue that have been hallmarks of Linklater's trilogy. Although hopelessly romantic in its inception, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy do not shy away from depicting the hard truths of a lasting relationship.