"Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" are a blend of stars, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, with a wonderful script brilliantly filmed. Motion pictures are an art form which lends itself to action, visual delights that are seen in such classics as "Gone With The Wind" and current ones such as "Iron Man Part Three". "Gone With The Wind" combined visual moments with smart dialogue whereas the "Iron Man" genre depends on action and the script is secondary. A successful modern day picture that combines the elements of a great cast with a script that creates tension is "Argo". But what "Sunrise" and "Sunset" do is have a story about two characters that meet and talk, converse. There is no political agenda where they may lose their lives, no super hero jumping tall buildings at a single bound, just two characters the viewer believes in who actually do nothing but have a great experience of falling in love and converse. AND we, this modern culture of ours have really lost the art of conversation.
"Before Sunrise" have a young, early 20's, Jesse and Celine, meet purely by chance on an European train and spend a day together. What they do is enjoy themselves mainly by talking, sharing their dreams, hopes fears. They do make love but it is not an overt love scene but we know they are sharing they human aspect of being in love. They have to leave each other but make the promise to return in six months to meet again.
"Before Sunset" takes place some nine years later. Jessie and Celine never met in that six month interlude and he has become a writer and in making a promotional tour through Europe meets, again by chance, Celine. Their lives have moved on in these nine years and they spend the day together talking, sharing and confirming the fact they loved and are really still in love. The movie ends without a really final ending but Jessie does not make his flight back to the United States.
Another nine years have passed and "Before Midnight" is the last in this trilogy and has been released May 24, 2103. The New York News and Times loves it. Again what sounds more like a play rather than a movie there is conversation between Jessie and Celine which carries the movie. I have not seen it yet but I will. It is a must see movie for me, a "must see" that has to be seen with my love sitting besides me because this is what life is about. People being in love who talk, share, explore and experience life through companionship, through going through life taking risks without really knowing where the risks may lead but hoping all roads lead to a happy loving ending though the results might be imperfect but when is anything in life perfect?
The New York Times review sums it up by saying this:
“Before Midnight” is a wonderful paradox: a movie passionately committed to the
ideal of imperfection that is itself very close to perfect."
Everything about these movies from production values, direction by Richard Linklater, the photography was perfect, the script wonderful but had to be delivered perfectly in order to carry such a film for a couple of hours and it was. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy really made you believe in their characters Jessie and Celine so when you viewed the picture it was actually Jessie and Celine you were eavesdropping on. These actors were not afraid to let you see them grow older by the very real passage of eighteen years.
For me most of all this artistic endeavor brought home the very real fact that it is important for people to talk to each other, talk and listen. Conversation is especially need for lovers be they couple lovers, parents and children, friends and even enemies. Civilization has become so attached to computers, smart phones, anything except human interaction that we have become distant. We humans need to interact and we do that best by talking, conversing. Sharing is the best way we communicate which therefore is the best way to love.
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