Indie_Locker
Joined Jun 2009
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Indie_Locker's rating
Another nine years have passed in the lives of Jesse and Celine, and here we are, revisiting these characters once again. Its absolutely wonderful that Linklater and co. have managed to make these characters live on over the course of three decades, and in doing so they have left a distinct mark on the world of independent film. One thing that puzzled me before I even started the film was, why Before Midnight? Was it implying that one of them had to leave before the end of the day? And boy, I hoped that wasn't the case.
This film, much like the other two, does not hold back in portraying these multi-dimensional characters in such an honest way. Here we are exposed to the entire spectrum of the relationship between these two characters, from their most romantic moments to their most wise observations. But just how honest could a story like this be told if we weren't exposed to the darker side of it all.?The realistic side, where relationships and commitment aren't all hunky-dory. Jesse and Celine are married with twin daughters and are in their early 40s. If this were a true fairy tale we wouldn't worry about them. But this isn't a fairy tale, and it may as well be real life.
Everything about this film relies on the performances of its main characters, but luckily Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy absolutely nail it and give what may be the finest work of both of their careers. They make the material completely work, from beginning to end. They make us laugh and they both charm us much like they have before. They can fill our hearts, break them and put them back together in a single conversation, and that is true chemistry. Films of this nature only dream of capturing what they manage to capture here.
All of that being said, this film is the most difficult to endure. For reasons I will not mention, both the characters and the audience are being tested with this film, mostly with choices and how our choices effect the lives we create for ourselves. We want nothing more than these two to work it out because they have that magic that some of us only dream of getting. And even they realize that keeping it together over the course of a lifetime is no easy task, for the walks of life like their jobs and their children only complicate what was once a much more simple matter.
At the end of it all, Before Midnight is a film with a lot to say. It is full of delight and charm and emotion and connection as well as agreement and disagreement. My only hope is that we can revisit Jesse and Celine in nine more years to see where they are. It doesn't matter if they're in a good place or in a bad place, if you've seen the previous two films, you're in for the long haul with these characters. I think Mr. Linklater, Ms. Delpy and Mr. Hawke are as well, for not only have they created two fantastic and loving films, they hit a home run with this beautiful and mature third film, and continue to leave us fully satisfied yet also wanting more.
This film, much like the other two, does not hold back in portraying these multi-dimensional characters in such an honest way. Here we are exposed to the entire spectrum of the relationship between these two characters, from their most romantic moments to their most wise observations. But just how honest could a story like this be told if we weren't exposed to the darker side of it all.?The realistic side, where relationships and commitment aren't all hunky-dory. Jesse and Celine are married with twin daughters and are in their early 40s. If this were a true fairy tale we wouldn't worry about them. But this isn't a fairy tale, and it may as well be real life.
Everything about this film relies on the performances of its main characters, but luckily Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy absolutely nail it and give what may be the finest work of both of their careers. They make the material completely work, from beginning to end. They make us laugh and they both charm us much like they have before. They can fill our hearts, break them and put them back together in a single conversation, and that is true chemistry. Films of this nature only dream of capturing what they manage to capture here.
All of that being said, this film is the most difficult to endure. For reasons I will not mention, both the characters and the audience are being tested with this film, mostly with choices and how our choices effect the lives we create for ourselves. We want nothing more than these two to work it out because they have that magic that some of us only dream of getting. And even they realize that keeping it together over the course of a lifetime is no easy task, for the walks of life like their jobs and their children only complicate what was once a much more simple matter.
At the end of it all, Before Midnight is a film with a lot to say. It is full of delight and charm and emotion and connection as well as agreement and disagreement. My only hope is that we can revisit Jesse and Celine in nine more years to see where they are. It doesn't matter if they're in a good place or in a bad place, if you've seen the previous two films, you're in for the long haul with these characters. I think Mr. Linklater, Ms. Delpy and Mr. Hawke are as well, for not only have they created two fantastic and loving films, they hit a home run with this beautiful and mature third film, and continue to leave us fully satisfied yet also wanting more.
If Drive was brought to life by its style and color palette, Only God Forgives sends us straight to Hell with its style. It evokes a kind of dream-like feeling that echoes the work of Gaspar Noe. It burns images and scenes into our brain and dazzles us with an effective slow burn technique. Drive was an art-house film that made its way mainstream and critics and audiences all over loved it, but this film will be extremely divisive among those who liked Drive.
The film follows Julian (Ryan Gosling) a soft-spoken criminal who manages a kick-boxing arena. Julian is a drug smuggler but that doesn't matter, we just know that he's a criminal in some way and that he has his hands dirty. Once his brother gets killed after committing a horrible and dark act, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) flies to Bangkok and tries to get Julian to track down his brother's killer. In the midst of it all is a mysterious cop named Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm).
The film is set in a dark criminal underworld in Bangkok where nearly every single character seems to have their hands dirty. The film is completely covered in darkness from its very first frame. Bright neon colors soak the environment and illuminate all of the characters. If Refn wanted to make a version of Hell on Earth, he successfully did that with Bangkok. We are completely drawn into this world from the very beginning and we are never let go. Its hypnotic and mesmerizing and dark with strange moments of real beauty to it.
There are a few moments in the film when the camera focuses on the characters hands. Julian sometimes looks down at them, his hands are tied by a chair to a woman while he lays eyes on temptation that he can't touch, and Chang cuts off the hands of men with his sword. If Bangkok is Hell, then the people living in it are led to temptation by their hands. The hands take what they want and reach for what they can't have. They pull triggers and get you into trouble. If this is Hell, then Chang is God, by being on the right side of the law and ridding people of their temptation. He is an unstoppable force and is wonderfully played by Pansringarm.
Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful in her role, and even though her character comes from America, with her bleached blonde hair and her long fingernails and the way she holds her cigarette, her hands are every bit as dirty as the inhabitants of this hellish nightmare. She has a nasty look in her eyes and has a kind of control over Julian. There's incestuous vibes at play, in the way that she touches him and some of the things that she says and it clearly has a large influence on Julian as a person. Nothing is said but subtle things are implied and we're left to draw our own conclusions. She says that Julian can leave this place with her and come home, only if he kills his way out.
Aesthetically the film is a knockout. Its absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors enriching each and every frame. Cliff Martinez, a composer who I'm quite a fan of, accomplishes what may be his best work yet. Say what you will about Refn, he's a very visual director and he has his own voice that reflects upon his work. A lot may say that this is a misstep for Refn, but if you ask me, Refn stepped up his game.
The film follows Julian (Ryan Gosling) a soft-spoken criminal who manages a kick-boxing arena. Julian is a drug smuggler but that doesn't matter, we just know that he's a criminal in some way and that he has his hands dirty. Once his brother gets killed after committing a horrible and dark act, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) flies to Bangkok and tries to get Julian to track down his brother's killer. In the midst of it all is a mysterious cop named Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm).
The film is set in a dark criminal underworld in Bangkok where nearly every single character seems to have their hands dirty. The film is completely covered in darkness from its very first frame. Bright neon colors soak the environment and illuminate all of the characters. If Refn wanted to make a version of Hell on Earth, he successfully did that with Bangkok. We are completely drawn into this world from the very beginning and we are never let go. Its hypnotic and mesmerizing and dark with strange moments of real beauty to it.
There are a few moments in the film when the camera focuses on the characters hands. Julian sometimes looks down at them, his hands are tied by a chair to a woman while he lays eyes on temptation that he can't touch, and Chang cuts off the hands of men with his sword. If Bangkok is Hell, then the people living in it are led to temptation by their hands. The hands take what they want and reach for what they can't have. They pull triggers and get you into trouble. If this is Hell, then Chang is God, by being on the right side of the law and ridding people of their temptation. He is an unstoppable force and is wonderfully played by Pansringarm.
Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful in her role, and even though her character comes from America, with her bleached blonde hair and her long fingernails and the way she holds her cigarette, her hands are every bit as dirty as the inhabitants of this hellish nightmare. She has a nasty look in her eyes and has a kind of control over Julian. There's incestuous vibes at play, in the way that she touches him and some of the things that she says and it clearly has a large influence on Julian as a person. Nothing is said but subtle things are implied and we're left to draw our own conclusions. She says that Julian can leave this place with her and come home, only if he kills his way out.
Aesthetically the film is a knockout. Its absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors enriching each and every frame. Cliff Martinez, a composer who I'm quite a fan of, accomplishes what may be his best work yet. Say what you will about Refn, he's a very visual director and he has his own voice that reflects upon his work. A lot may say that this is a misstep for Refn, but if you ask me, Refn stepped up his game.
Usually when we're subjected to a film about love, we enter the film with a certain realm of expectation. We expect to see the two meet, fall in love, get into a fight and either reunite or not at the end. We've seen films recycle those motions time and time again, and that is what makes Before Sunrise such a compelling watch. This is no Nicholas Sparks adaptation. There is no Celine Dion song on its soundtrack. Its a film about love, through and through.
The film begins on a train, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet each other while talking about fellow passengers that bothered them. After hitting it off on the train ride, Jesse convinces Celine to spend the entire day and night together before he boards a flight and they move on with their lives. They spend their time in Vienna, a city that works as a perfect setting for the love between these two characters.
What is so compelling about this film is that it defies convention. This film at its core is about these two characters and how they spend what is probably one of the best days of their lives together. They wander around the town, from place to place, doing activity to activity while engaging in natural and insightful conversation. The conversations they have are a deep look into who these characters are and how well they work together.
Richard Linklater's unique vision shines through in this project, as the camera follows them around as they wander a city completely foreign to them. It intensely focuses on the development of these two characters and it also documents a realistic connection between two human beings over the span of one day. It shows what can happen when you take a risk, and that love can bloom in any situation, when you don't expect it. Hawke and Delpy completely become these characters, and we hardly ever feel like we're watching a movie. We hope that we can go to Vienna and see Jesse and Celine walking around together.
Before Sunrise is a terrific accomplishment with its minimalistic production. If it were book it would be a fascinating one because the characters are richly detailed, but they're brought to life by the actors through the way they look at each other and talk to each other and walk together and it makes for a touching and thoughtful experience. Jesse and Celine are two people to genuinely root for, and though I feel fulfilled in having watched it, I'd be upset if their story wasn't continued. Boy, its a good thing the film has spawned two sequels.
The film begins on a train, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet each other while talking about fellow passengers that bothered them. After hitting it off on the train ride, Jesse convinces Celine to spend the entire day and night together before he boards a flight and they move on with their lives. They spend their time in Vienna, a city that works as a perfect setting for the love between these two characters.
What is so compelling about this film is that it defies convention. This film at its core is about these two characters and how they spend what is probably one of the best days of their lives together. They wander around the town, from place to place, doing activity to activity while engaging in natural and insightful conversation. The conversations they have are a deep look into who these characters are and how well they work together.
Richard Linklater's unique vision shines through in this project, as the camera follows them around as they wander a city completely foreign to them. It intensely focuses on the development of these two characters and it also documents a realistic connection between two human beings over the span of one day. It shows what can happen when you take a risk, and that love can bloom in any situation, when you don't expect it. Hawke and Delpy completely become these characters, and we hardly ever feel like we're watching a movie. We hope that we can go to Vienna and see Jesse and Celine walking around together.
Before Sunrise is a terrific accomplishment with its minimalistic production. If it were book it would be a fascinating one because the characters are richly detailed, but they're brought to life by the actors through the way they look at each other and talk to each other and walk together and it makes for a touching and thoughtful experience. Jesse and Celine are two people to genuinely root for, and though I feel fulfilled in having watched it, I'd be upset if their story wasn't continued. Boy, its a good thing the film has spawned two sequels.
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