nomadreader

The backstory: Before Midnight  is the third film in what I hope is an ongoing series rather than a trilogy. The first two films, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset  are two of my favorite movies of all time . The basics: We meet Jesse and Celine again, nine years after their poignant walk around Paris, in Greece. Slowly we learn they have been together since that day in Paris and they now have twin daughters. My thoughts: Despite my best efforts, I had high expectations for this film. I have loved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset  for years. And Before Midnight  was getting ridiculoulsy good reviews. Then Peter Travers said " It's damn near perfect. " And Owen Glieberman said it was " enchanting entertainment that's also the most honest and moving film about love in years ." They're both right, but what I wasn't prepared for in this film was how much it hurt to watch. Before Midnight  is so different from the other two films. There are cer...

I was fourteen when I first saw Before Sunrise . I'm pretty sure I saw it more than once in the theater, but I definitely remember it's one of the few films I've owned on VHS, Laserdisc (my family were early adopters), and dvd. It's a film I've loved for years. It's a film I still know most of the lines and facial expressions, even though I had not seen it in at least two years. Yet when I sat down to watch it with my husband Friday night, I was amazed to discover the film resonates more with me now than it ever has. Let me back up. In case you're unfamiliar with this film, it's the story of Jesse, an American, and Celine, a Frenchwoman, who meet on a train. Jesse is heading to Vienna, where he flies out the next morning. Celine is returning to Paris after visiting her grandmother in Hungary. Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him in Vienna, and they explore the city and talk all night. This description will likely either make you want to...