Before Midnight 2013

     This film is the sequel to Before Sunset (1995) and Before Sunrise (2004).  It's been nine years since there has been a film about Jesse and Celine.  Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delphy) have twin daughters and Jesse has a teenage son Hank from his previous marriage.  Jesse is feeling a lot of remorse because he lives in France and Hank lives in Chicago with his mother.  Jesse thinks it’s bad for both of them to not be a part of each other’s regular lives.  Hank has spent the summer with his family on a vacation in Greece and he has just left to return to Chicago.  The family had been staying with Jesse's author colleague.  Jesse begins to question the decisions he has made in his life and he thinks his relationship with Celine could be at risk?

     The entire film is dialogue.  Hawke has described Before Sunrise as the film about what might be.  Before Sunset is the film about could or should be.  Before Midnight is the film about what is.  Talking, talking and then arguing, arguing.  I could not take anymore and I didn’t finish this film.  It’s like going to someone’s house and you never say a word but they never shut up!!  2* (I didn’t like this movie) 

109 min, Drama directed by Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke, Julie Delphy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer and Charlotte Prior, Zenia Kalogeropoulou, Walter Lassally, Ariane Labed, Yiannis Papadopoulos.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 98% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Rolling Stone 4* Peter Travers, Empire Online 4* out of 5*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 567 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Kardamyli, Messinia and Pylos Greece in 15 days.  This film is dedicated to the memory of Amy Lehrhaupt.  She was the woman who inspired Before Sunrise.  Director Richard Linklater spent a night walking and talking around Philadelphia with her in 1989.  They initially stayed in touch by phone calls but lost contact.  Later in 1994, Linklater hoped she would show up at the world premiere for Before Sunrise but she didn't.  Ten years later he was filming the sequel Before Sunset and he still had not heard from Amy.  In 2010, Amy's friend contacted Linklater and told him that Amy died in a motorcycle accident on May 9, 1994 at the age of 24.  This was just a few weeks before the shoot began. Linklater and Hawke were both devastated by her passing.