Before Midnight (2013)

Before Midnight (2013) — the third film in Richard Linklater’s intimate romance trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy — finds Jesse and Celine nine years after Before Sunset and nearly two decades after their first meeting. Now living in Paris and raising twin daughters, they are spending the end of a summer in Greece at friends’ invitation. Jesse is wrestling with his role as a father to his teenage son Hank, who lives in Chicago, while Celine faces pressure about her career and the compromises of family life. What begins as a holiday weekend and a supposedly romantic last night together becomes an unsparing, candid exploration of a long-term relationship on the brink. Viewers will experience a quietly intense, conversation-driven film built on extended, naturalistic scenes and razor-sharp dialogue. The movie unfolds in sunlit Greek settings and small, domestic interiors—dinners with friends, a hotel room, a long walk—where ordinary moments give way to frank debates about love, sacrifice, resentment, and desire. Expect emotionally raw arguments, bittersweet humor, and moments of tenderness; the film looks and sounds like a real couple unpacking years of history, choices, and unmet expectations. It’s less a plot-driven drama than a character study: patient, realistic, and often uncomfortable, but ultimately truthful about the complexities of sustaining love over time.

Actors: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick

Director: Richard Linklater

Runtime: 109 min

Genres: Drama, Romance

7.3 /10 94 /100 7.9 /10 8.2 /10