Before Midnight (2013)

Director: Richard Linklater

Stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Runtime: 109 minutes

Synopsis: We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 8/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Nearly 2 decades after they met on a train and 10 years after they reunited in Paris, Jesse and Celine are now married with kids and on vacation in Greece, the ideal setting for what is easily the most tragic entry in the Before trilogy. This one's not a one day/night fling, they've been living with one another for years now, have to share responsibilities, and saw the worst in each other, not only the good. The previous two entries were almost dream-like fairytales in which they spent hours discussing topics that were of interest to both of them, but this one sees the couple take a reality check as tension grows between them. And for that reason, many people consider it to be the weakest chapter in the trilogy.

As for me, I don't exactly know where to place it because it contains some of my favorites scenes in all three movies as well as some of my least favorite ones. Richard Linklater's decision to include more people in some of the conversations wasn't an inspired choice as it became overwhelming and sort of a bit all over the place. I also felt that the European setting wasn't up to the standards of Vienna and Paris in which it played a vital role in the narrative, almost participating in it as a passive viewer. But despite these issues, I cannot get enough of the opening car conversation and, more importantly, the final act in the hotel which, in my opinion, perfectly set the tone for what their relationship has become once the romance started to fade away.

I'm not sure if there'll ever be a fourth installment in the Before franchise, but if that never happens, I'm more than fine with how things were left off. It's always an absolute pleasure watching Jesse and Celine meet for the first time, meet again a decade later, and, finally, grow old together.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10