The Beauty of the ‘Before’ Trilogy
Richard Linklater’s inspiration for the film Before Sunrise came after meeting a woman one time in Philadelphia and spending that night walking and talking with her. Linklater never saw the woman again but their short yet meaningful interaction served as the basis for the film Linklater had in mind. Working with writer Kim Krizan, Linklater developed the script for Before Sunrise. The premise was a simple one. Two complete strangers meet and engage in deep conversation, discovering much about life, relationships, and most importantly, themselves. Stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply also contributed to the script with many rewrites throughout filming, helping further bring their respective characters of Jesse and Céline and their romance to life.
Before Sunrise is considered a staple of American indie cinema, celebrated for its intelligent and engaging dialogue and refreshing romance. Two sequels (also critically acclaimed) followed. Today, the Before trilogy continues to capture the hearts and minds of many and is commended as one of the most well-crafted trilogies in film history.
“If there’s some magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone else, sharing something, even if it’s almost impossible to succeed.” - Céline, Before Sunrise (1995)
Jesse and Céline meet for the first time on a train traveling across Europe. Jesse is due for a flight back home to America and Céline is on her way back home to Paris. After striking up a conversation, Jesse convinces Céline to get off the train with him in Vienna and spend their time together, before he catches his flight in the morning. As the pair spend time, their conversation reveals a little about each of them.
Jesse is passionate but often comes across as cynical. Céline is a hopeful romantic but at times finds herself questioning her feelings. Throughout the night, they take in the sights of Vienna while engaging in an intimate conversation that at times becomes existential. By the time the sun comes up, the two have already fallen in love. The easy chemistry between Hawke and Deply, combined with the film’s natural flow of events, makes for such an authentic portrayal of falling in love.
Before Sunrise also plays with the element of spontaneity, giving the film an almost fantastical quality that makes it all the more romantic. Perhaps it’s because I’m at a similar time in my life but the dreamy and spontaneous feel of Before Sunrise, makes it my personal favourite in the trilogy. From their stolen glances to the way they discuss their hopes and ambitions, Jesse and Céline personify the youthful type of yearning that comes with the idea of meeting someone and being able to share yourself with them. They represent how it feels to be young and when the future seems to hold endless possibilities. So when Jesse and Céline make that promise to see each other again in six months time without exchanging any contact information, it’s a celebration of a hopeful sort of determination, one that comes with taking chances and opening yourself up to what’s to come.
“I guess when you're young, you just believe there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.” - Céline, Before Sunset (2004)
Nine years later, Jesse, now a best-selling author, is in Paris as part of a book tour. He notices Céline in attendance. This is their first time seeing each other, as Céline did not show up at the train station the way they had planned all those years ago due to her grandmother’s passing. As the pair catch up, we learn that Jesse is married with a son and Céline is in a relationship and working as an activist. The characters now older have changed their perspectives on many things. Céline, who was once a believer in the world’s magic, is pessimistic about relationships and the future in general. Jesse, who seemingly has the success he’s always wanted, eventually reveals the dissatisfaction he feels in his life, admitting that he thinks he wrote his novel in an attempt to find Céline again.
Once again, engaged in personal conversation, the pair confess their regrets and start to slowly rekindle their romance. Utilizing uninterrupted takes and once again relying on spontaneous feeling dialogue, Before Sunset is able to naturally pick up the pair’s connection where we last left off. In doing so, Before Sunset highlights just how rare it is to find a connection like the one Jesse and Céline share. As in Before Sunrise, the time limit on Jesse and Céline forces them to acknowledge this, though the sense of urgency is only heightened in this film.
If Before Sunrise is a depiction of hopeful beginnings and looking forward, Before Sunset confronts us with the reality of the present. “What do I really want? Am I happy with the way things are?” These are all questions that soon need answers and for Jesse and Céline it’s now or never, as Jesse has a plane to catch. Perhaps due to this urgency, both realize they never want to let the other go again. So, when told by Céline that he is going to miss his plane, Jesse can only respond with, “I know.”
“This is real life. It's not perfect but it's real.” - Jesse, Before Midnight (2013)
Once again, nine years later, we find Jesse and Céline on the Peloponnese coast in Greece on vacation with their twin daughters. After having dinner with friends, the two embark on one of their walks and reminisce about their own past and discuss how their present-day selves might have acted differently. After arriving at their hotel, the couple gets interrupted by a phone call from Jesse’s son Hank, who they had dropped off at the airport earlier that day. Jesse expresses his regret over missing out on much of his son’s childhood and floats the idea of relocating the family from Paris to Chicago in order to be closer to him. Céline objects, claiming the move would mean sacrificing her chance at a fulfilling career. Their disagreement culminates in an explosive argument that appears to shatter the romantic ideal presented in the previous two films.
If the first two films are a celebration of yearning and heartwarming romance, Before Midnight brutally depicts another side to love–when love is subjected to the challenges of everyday life. However, the film is not suggesting that fights of such caliber are a normal occurrence in relationships. Instead, Before Midnight takes this chance to put Jesse and Céline under a microscope, revealing their frustrations with certain aspects of each other and the fears and doubts they’ve faced over the course of their relationship.
Unlike the previous two films, this time we catch Jesse and Céline at the point in their lives where they have been in a relationship for a prolonged period of time. They know what gets under the other’s skin. We know both are flawed individuals but Before Midnight finally shows us that their love is also not immune to these flaws. By the end, Jesse tells Céline that the love they share, although not the fairytale romance they once imagined in Vienna all those years ago, is undoubtedly the real deal. As the two reconcile, on an almost bittersweet note the trilogy leaves us to reconsider love and its imperfect nature.
The Before trilogy documents a love story throughout time and explores this love through the changing perspectives of our main characters. What I believe endears the trilogy to many people is the fact that many of us see parts of ourselves in both Jesse and Céline. Through its depiction of two unique individuals and their shared connection, the Before trilogy presents itself as a celebration of love, life, hope, passion, regret, and imperfection—all things that make us human.