Before Midnight (2013) – A Raw, Intimate Portrait of Love Evolving Over Time
Genre: Romance, Drama
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
The final chapter in Richard Linklater’s beloved Before Trilogy, Before Midnight picks up nearly a decade after Before Sunset, reuniting us with Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy), now a couple in their forties navigating the complexities of long-term commitment, parenthood, and the passage of time.
Set during a sun-drenched summer in Greece, the film trades the romantic idealism of the earlier entries for a more grounded, often painful realism. Jesse and Céline, once wide-eyed dreamers strolling through Vienna and Paris, now grapple with the demands of daily life, career compromises, and the quiet resentment that can grow in a shared life. Their conversations—still deeply philosophical and emotionally charged—reflect the maturity, disappointment, and lingering hope that define their relationship.
The film’s power lies in its naturalistic dialogue and the lived-in chemistry between Hawke and Delpy, who also co-wrote the script with Linklater. What begins as a thoughtful walk and dinner with friends gradually builds into a climactic hotel room confrontation—one of the most emotionally raw and honest depictions of love and conflict ever captured on screen.
Before Midnight was hailed by critics as a masterful conclusion to the trilogy, with The New York Times calling it “bracingly honest and as romantic as it is unsentimental.” It earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars and remains a standout for its willingness to confront the realities of love with vulnerability and grace.
It’s not a fairy tale, but something far more enduring: a meditation on the work it takes to stay connected, and the beauty found in that struggle.
