Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Before Midnight
2013
****½
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Prior, Charlotte Prior, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Walter Lassally, Ariane Labed, Yiannis Papadopoulos, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Panos Koronis

It's 18 years since Jesse and Celine met in Before Sunrise and 9 years since they were reunited in Before Sunset. They now live together in Paris with their twin daughters. During a holiday in Greece, their relationship runs into trouble. Jesse feels guilty about not being part of his teenage son's life, Celine feels guilty about not enabling it. Like his Boyhood, Richard Linklater's excellent trilogy creates a heightened sense of realism by using the same actors to play the same characters over an extended period of time. The series beautifully captures the evolution of an intercultural relationship. Once again, it's mostly people talking, but the dialogue is fresh, poignant, and truthful.