Before Midnight

Saturday 29th June 2013

Director: Richard Linklater
Year: 2013
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Having previously seen, and loved, both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, I really wanted to see the follow-up movie, Before Midnight. Set nine years after Before Sunset, Before Midnight sees Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) together and with twin daughters.

The movie follows the same style as the previous two, with long scenes full of in-depth talks about love, life and everything in-between. In that sense, Before Midnight doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately, some of the other aspects of the movie annoyed me a little more. Other characters are bought into the movie, and therefore into Jesse and Celine's world. The dinner conversation, especially, had me feeling as if I was most definitely watching a movie, rather than somebody else's life. Most people just don't talk that way... Celine's special brand of crazy, which, whilst endearing in earlier movies, is just taken a little too far here. Whilst the arguments feel real, some of the madder reactions Celine has just don't.

Overall, not a bad addition to what is now a trilogy, but there's a fairly large part of me hoping that's the end of it. And I'm much more likely to go back and watch Before Sunrise rather than Before Midnight again.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5