Before Midnight

Have you seen this movie yet?

Have you?

HAVE YOU? Because you haven't...

Put "Stupid" instead of "Crazy" and you got it! 

This is the film in Richard Linklater's series of  capturing love between Jesse and Celine.

You'd think that this is just another love story, one of the many,

the unrealistic kind that doesn't happen in real life, 

or yet another chickflick.

But here's the thing. 

You're wrong.

So god damn wrong, if you think any of those.

"You're a writer? You write...like...books?"

The move is set in Greece, family holidays, 

tables full of fresh food and fine wine.

Endless intelligent, creative talks about everything between writers. 

Picture of perfection. 

But the peace is disturbed in the moment that Celine starts to feel threatened 

in her big feminine world, like Jesse is going to turn her into a housewife,

losing all her freedom,

losing herself.

From the ideal vacation, the movie turns in witty, passionate fight, yet still a discussion 

that revolves around female gender in society.

It all gets triggered by Jesse's son with his former wife leaving for the States

and Jesse being worried about not being present in his life.

It's all really logical and a normal reaction from a father considering the circumstances. 

And for me this is the point that somehow it makes it obvious who's right and who's wrong.

He's not demanding, he's not pushing, he's just asking Celine to consider something,

but all she does is turn it on him. 

It starts as something small, little words here and there in the table while they are eating,

and it contentious as they walk through the city. 

And then it all "explodes" at the hotel room. 

It's dynamic, funny, entrancing, it makes you want to be part of the conversation

and add your two cents.

You see both points because no one talks bullshit, but at the same time

you know that the roots of feminism are stupid.

By stupid I mean too many words, too many complaints, observing things so closely that you

only start seeing wrong.

In the end, he was't asking for much. He loved her. Simple as that.

He didn't want her to change, he didn't want to imprison her.

They had something great together, two beautiful daughters and a long life ahead of them.

What makes this movie more special are the leading actors, Hawke and Delpy.

The characters are dear and really close to the actors as you can see that

during the entire movie. The chemistry between this too is strong as ever,

even after 10 years that have passed since the first one. 

The fact that they played a part in the process of writing the script, adds to it as well.

The particular scene in the photo above, might be one of my favorite. 

Things are not OK in that moment, they are so far away from each other

and yet, you can't feel the distance even in this moment , which  feels like they might give up on their relationship.

A detail that I loved a lot was that the director didn't try to distract you with

beautiful scenery or unnecessary music to fill the scenes.

It wasn't needed. 

It definitely made it on the list of best movies of this year.
Heck, on the list of a favorite movie of all times.

• Jesse:I am giving you my whole life ok? I got nothing larger to give, I'm not giving it to anybody else. If you're looking for permission to disqualify me, I'm not gonna give it to you. Ok? I love you. And I'm not in conflict about it. Okay? But if what you want is like a laundry list of all the things that piss me off, I can give it to you.
• Celine:Yeah, I want to hear.
• Jesse:Okay well, number 1, you're fucking nuts! You are. Good luck! Find somebody else to put up with your shit for more than like 6 months okay? But I, accept the whole package, the crazy and the brilliant. I know you're not gonna change and I don't want you to. It's called accepting you for being you.