Midnight Movie

Amid the mega-hyped, multi-million dollar, blockbuster movies pouring out week after week, the film I may have been most looking forward to this summer was a quiet little independent film, Before Midnight. In a way, it's appropriate that the movie arrived with countless other sequels, because it too is a sequel -- to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

Almost 20 years ago, director Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and French actress Julie Delpy got together and made Before Sunrise, a simple tale of strangers meeting on a train in Europe and forging a sudden, deep connection. The film had the sensibilities of a tight little two-actor play, with a heavy emphasis on smart and probing dialogue and a tight unity of time (it all unfolds in a single day, hence the title). At the time, that was all there was to it, but nine years later they would reunite for a sequel, Before Sunset, which checked in on the two characters after the passage of nearly a decade.

It seems now that these three filmmakers have decided to make a fictional version the Up Series of documentaries, revisiting the lives of their characters on a regular basis. In the three years since I watched the first two films, my opinion of them has only grown. As I've toyed with Flickchart a few minutes at a time, I've realized that both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset deserve a spot in my top 200. That's solid A- territory for both. I was far too faint in my praise when I wrote my original reviews.

Now I have the chance to get it right the first time. Another nine years have passed, and the trio is bringing us Before Midnight. The once-young couple, Jesse and Celine, have reached their 40s. They have twin daughters, and have been together since the prior film. But they've hit a rough patch in their relationship. They're concluding a long vacation in Greece, but the trip has only postponed a confrontation they really need to have.

As with the prior two films, everything takes place in a single day. And once again, dialogue and theatricality is king. There are few scenes in the film shorter than 20 minutes, and most sequences are filmed in as few camera takes (with as few cuts) as possible.

This time, the relationship drama is not confined just to the couple we've been following now for multiple films. In the middle of the film is a long dinner party, where Jesse and Celine are just one of four couples. Each pairing at the dinner represents different ages and different perspectives on life (a narrative device cleverly telegraphed earlier in the film when Jesse, a writer, describes the new book he's drafting). The scene is a wonderful examination of relationship dynamics. It's also more tense than most action sequences in this summer's big blockbusters. By this point, we know Jesse and Celine are on the rocks, and the audience cringes every time a stinging line of dialogue comes along -- is one of them going to take the bait and start a full-blown argument in front of everyone?

The film serves up an excellent third act, in which the dam that has been building up pressure all movie finally breaks. But the actual final scene feels like a bit of a stumble to me... a little too fast, a little too unearned. Even so, it's easy to recommend the movie. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are both excellent, incredibly real characters in a relationship that feels totally authentic. And it's just fun that this time out, they have an advantage on the audience; prior to this film, we've essentially seen every moment the two characters have ever spent together.

I'd put this third installment just a touch below the first, and a touch above the second. But that's all just quibbling over details. It gets an A- in any case. I'd strongly recommend all three movies.