Review of Before Midnight (2013) by Nathan K — 08 Aug 2013

For the first time in the "Before..." series, time is not an obstacle. Both "Sunrise" and "Sunset" eventually feel like a race against the clock as Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) have their last fleeting moments together and we're unsure of how or if they'll say goodbye when the timer hits zero.

Before Midnight never reaches that point. At the start of the movie, it's revealed that Jesse left his wife to be with Celine and that they've been together for nearly ten years, having plenty of conversations about life and love that were never caught on film.

The time structure is also less rigid, while "Sunrise" covered an afternoon's worth of time and "Sunset" only about an hour's worth, Before Midnight follows a full days worth of activities and has a large ensemble cast that make sure that Celine and Jesse don't spend every waking moment together.

So where's the tension this time around? In a move that's both obvious and fitting, Celine and Jesse's conflict is with each other this time around. As they argue over their love life, Jesse's relationship with his son from a previous marriage and if they're going to move back to the U.

S., we see a new side of these characters, a side full of anger and doubt. At times it seems like Linklater is giving us front row seats to the deconstruction of the romantic myth of true love but relationships and their arguments are never that black-and-white.

Love is hurtful, messy and subtle something that Before Midnight captures beautifully. The best film of 2013.