The Before Trilogy Review. A portrayal of a real life relationship.
The majority of romantic comedies rely a lot on idealization. They enable us to escape from reality and take in the pleasure of falling in love without having to deal with the uninteresting, messy parts of "happily ever after." That's why Richard Linklater created the Before trilogy: to criticize these simplistic, implausible portrayals of love. The films center on Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), who fell in love for the first time during an impromptu trip to Vienna. Each film, which is released ten years apart, focuses on a different aspect of their relationship. Before Sunrise considers what might be; Before Sunset, what could or ought to be; and Before Midnight, what is, claims Hawke. These three tenets are combined to create one of the most subtle and real filmic representations of romantic relationships.
The balanced view of love that the Before Trilogy presents, which is completely developed throughout the course of all three films, is what gives the trilogy its realism. Although Linklater questions our preconceived notions of love, he also reinforces it. Real-life difficulties severely test Jesse and Celine's first romance as their relationship develops; rom-com clichés and happy-ever-after conclusions are long gone. However, despite external challenges like a flight to catch, a family to leave, and a marriage to maintain, their connection continues to develop and expand. However, Jesse argues that true love is turbulent and ever-changing: "The connection that Jesse and Celine experience in Before Sunrise doesn't look very much like the one they share at the end of Before Midnight." This is the actual world. Although it is imperfect, it is genuine.
The three Before movies each focus on a different aspect of romantic relationships. When Jesse and Celine first realize they are connected, Before Sunrise serves as an incubator for their relationship. Jesse comments to Celine, "I feel like this is some dream world we're in. And that's exactly what they do—they wander aimlessly through Vienna, getting to know one another and the city without much interference from the outside world. Their unadulterated and uncomplicated falling in love drives the entire plot and drama of the movie. This perfectly expresses the intense, all-consuming nature of the initial bond.
The couple finally faces the hardships of reality in Before Sunset, just like the rest of us. They discuss their disappointments and discontentments when they reunite for the first time in almost ten years. Real responsibilities like families and work now weigh heavily on them, making real love seem like a flimsy fiction. However, Before Sunset also serves as a reminder of the rarity of genuine connection and the value of grabbing it when we encounter it. Linklater convincingly contends that real love may also be real life by skillfully balancing the burden of reality with the promise of romance. Many films produced by large Hollywood studios explore the possibilities of the imagination. Time is a commodity that is treated carefully and often manipulated in order to challenge our perception of reality.
The third and final book in the trilogy, Before Midnight, is arguably the most "realistic" because Celine and Jesse have been together for two decades and have raised two children. Although less ethereal than it was on that Vienna night in 1993, life after happily ever after is still worth living, and this is Linklater's celebration of it. Before Midnight takes place in the midst of daily commotion if Before Sunrise occurs in a distraction-free incubator. It demonstrates how genuine connection can both withstand and even benefit from this chaos. Jesse and Celine's lives inevitably become more complicated over the course of eighteen years, yet from this complexity, their relationship changes and deepens. We initially witness them making a bond. As they have dedicated their lives to that relationship, we part ways with them.
The biggest achievement in Linklater's portrayal of couples is that he doesn't sugarcoat disagreement. Instead, he views it as a healthy and natural component of relationships and promotes discussion as the most effective strategy for conquering it. He demonstrates the realities of relationships and assures us that genuine connection can endure them because that is what makes it the real thing. Visit the Like Stories of Old video essay linked below to learn more about the subtleties of Jesse and Celine's long love and what it may teach us about our own relationships.
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