I rewatched the "Before Trilogy" (1995 - 2013)I don't even want to say too much about this, but if you haven't seen these masterpieces of storytelling yet, go do so. They are real, meaningful, and they will speak to you. Watch all 3 (Before Sunrise + Sunset + Midnight), wait a year or 6 months even, just enough time for it not to be fresh in your mind, then watch them again so you can understand and digest every word and the meaning behind them.I watched these films for the first time about 2 years ago, and this time around I watched them at fitting hours of course; Before Sunrise early in the morning, Before Sunset in the evening and Before Midnight at night (though I think I might've coincidentally done it that way the first time too). But I do wonder what the experience is like for fans who had to wait years for these sequels, unaware they were even coming. For me the key attribute of these films is the character growth, watching how different these 2 people became as they went from young adults to now middle-aged parents, or even the ways in which they remained the same, or how their conversations become more mature and changes overtime.Some mild spoilers below:The movies are contrasted in that way but also very comparable, with each sequel making you appreciate the previous one even more. In Before Sunrise they are ambitious, passionate and hopeful, with much critique of society, relationships, the world in general and the way it look at and handles love/romance. And they speak a lot of truth, one of the reasons why this film is so good as a stand-alone, but they are also very naive, and don't realize or acknowledge that life can be very complicated and that it's hard to consistently be outside the box looking in and not get caught up in it. We don't get to see this until the other 2 films.Before Sunset is really about their lives not turning out exactly as they'd hoped, whether love life, work life, social life etc.. And they live pretty decent lives, but there's a lot of regret there. They get back together in the end, but I don't just look at it as just love (even though it is), I also look at it as both parties trying to cling on to their youth, a time where they were hopeful, passionate and ambitious. That 'youth' kinda manifested itself as that one great night in Vienna for both of them throughout the years. Before Midnight is where they fully get caught up in life. They're completely inside the box of life as opposed to looking in from the outside. They have kids, work and a lot of responsibilities now, and are even caught up in a complicated situation with Jesse's son and his ex-wife, so they inevitably become one of those couples they criticized in Before Sunrise. There's still also a lot of regret, but this time it's less self-regarding and mainly in reminiscent, because unlike Before Sunset where they could look at each other as a solution, they're both now coming to the realization and that certain things just can't be changed, and they have to accept that. Jesse don't get to be the great father to his son that he always wanted to be. Celine doesn't get to be the pro-feminist world changer she always wanted to be.I don't know how I missed it the first time but I think the last scene and time-traveler story is pretty much an indication that these 2 are going to stick through it. I doubt I'll be around to see it, but I hope there's another follow-up coming in the future with them in their 60s, most-likely retired, and more appreciative of the simple things in life, because that the inevitable cliche right? And I know this is a morbid thing to say but if one of the actors die they could even center the next follow-up around that (I hope not though).This story means a lot to mean, I very much admire the way these films are shot and their commitment to realism. Easily my favorite trilogy or movie series of all time.R.I.P Amy Lehrhaupt via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2Rb0TIi
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