Dear Sundance: You Make Me Want To...
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 7:33PM 
So please stop telling me that Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, which gives us a third precious day in the lives of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) & Celine (Julie Delpy), is perfect. It's like dangling a morsel of deliciousness outside my cage.
But seriously, beyond thrilled that the third entry in the Linklater/Hawke/Delpy series of philosophizing, fighting, loving and dreaming is getting ecstatic reviews in the press. Everyone from Variety to Katey Rich to Kris Tapley are over the moon about it. (SPOILERS in the Variety review, I'll assume. I don't know, I haven't checked. Rich and Tapley are more protective of the plot reveals, bless their hearts.)
Which prompted this text from me to Nathaniel the other evening:
Suffice it to say, I don't like being denied. Especially when the former entry (Before Sunset) is quite possibly my favorite film of all time. There's a magic in the simplicity to the Before... series, some effervescent drug the celluloid got dipped into where it manages to circumvent every emotional barrier or blockade I've built up.
Seeing these two together, the heart swoons all over again, right?
Did you hear Beau LOVES us?
I can't possibly wait.
Reader Comments (22)
I literally am tingly with excitement for Before Midnight. Before Sunset is my favorite film ever and I would be a liar if I didn't say, or don't still say on some levels, that I'm terribly nervous over this third outing. That said, these raves are blowing my mind more and make my jealousy of all thing Sundance officially out of control.
It was already one of my most anticipated films of the year... and now with all of these Sundance raves, it's become THE FILM I need to see now in order to survive... or something less hyperbolic. Whatever. Give me this film!
I would probably kill at least two members of my family if it meant I could have this movie in front of my face right now. To cope, I'm hugging my Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and weeping copiously, but that's only going to last me a month or two.
WOW. I'd just BET this is Linklater's first Best Director nom.
I'm feeling the same way. I was excited when I heard they were actually making it, but now that it's actually been screened somewhere, I'm going out of my mind! I NEED TO SEE THIS FILM NOW!
I guess Sundance audiences may find interesting seeing both "Don Jon's Addiction" (a directing debut) and "Before Midnight" (a third chapter)... you know, they simply sound so ying/yang in everything, but I would die to see both them right now
can we just give julie delpy the oscar she deserved for before sunset?
Baby, you gonna miss that plane...
Can I just say that I'm basically going to be losing my mind until I see this flick?
Haven't seen any films in this series.
@4rtful: Are you serious!?!?
Do it.
Do it NOW.
Seriously. I'll rent them FOR YOU.
I can't believe you prefer 4rtful over 3rtful!
Are you asking me out on a date?
Do you need to see Before Sunrise to see Before Sunset?
I finally saw Before Sunset today, and am still in the midst of its warm, lovely afterglow. It might help me hold out for Before Midnight a little longer, but no guarantees. Just that picture alone: swoon, swoon indeed.
I cherish this series so much; I am incredibly excited the third one does meet expectations. Because expectations are sky high after that amazing ending to the 2nd one. Admittedly, I didn't think they could possibly improve on the first one, and was so full of dread when I first saw Sunset. But after 5 minutes i had a smile on my face that wouldn't go away. It's that good.
And the Before films aren't just films, they are philosophical reflections, too. That's why every review you ll read on the film will say something about the reviewer, too, and how they approach life, and love, and long-term partnerships and whatnot. That's what's so amazing about the films, you don't get just get a film, but outlooks on life that you can reflect on.
I love these characters so much, and I can't wait to see them again in Before Midnight. It's like they are companions, friends even.
Julie for Best Actress!!!!
Heymarki -- yes? YES! I wish. Oscar only nominated it for screenplay but... hmmm... could the years of cumulative glory add up to somethign more this time?
Michael D -- i saw them in the reverse order but the ideal way to see them is spaced out every nine years in theaters :) If you have a choice you should see them in order, yes. I'd leave like a month in between. The only reason i saw SUNSET first was that I felt so guilty about having missed SUNRISE in college so I kept planning to rent it and the last day SUNSET was in theaters i was like "oh hell no i can't miss this" so i saw them out of order. and it was just PERFECT even out of order but why screw up the order?
in fact, let's do a retro viewing project together here at TFE.
I'd love to read a retro viewing project. I recently re-watched both movies.
I was pretty tentative about the new movie, since the first two are such a perfect matching pair, but I'm pretty psyched now.
The ideal way of viewing them is to see the first when you're 16, and the characters seem older and wiser than you.
Then rewatch it when you're 25, the same age as them. Watch the second one the same year, where, again, they seem older, wiser and a hopefuly glimpse at what you might be like soon.
Then rewatch the first two when you're 34. The passage of time will make the 25-year-old characters nearly insufferable, but innocent, so forgiveable. and you'll be the same age as the characters in the second one and identify with them in many ways. Then the third will come out, and they'll once again (presumably) have the older-wiser advantage.
At least, that's how I did it, and it works pretty well.
THE must-see sequel this year. I cannot wait.
I'm the same age as the characters in the film, and their relationship has made me look at the relationships (or lack there of) in my life at the time. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movies.
@3rtful: if it gets you to see both of these films!
I read a sliver of a review saying that it was "perfect" and my eyes started to well up. Who gets teared up over a sentence of a review? That's all i read and i moved on. No spoilers.
When i first heard the news that they were done filming, i had some hardcore cognitive dissonance. I thought "well, a third film is completely unnecessary" and "OH MY GOD, this is the best thing ever!!"
I don't have the slightest idea when i'll be able to get the chance to see it and with my luck, it'll be limited release and take even longer to get to my area.
But considering the ending of the last one, i have no idea what Midnight is going to explore.
Nat's chopping down trees in frustration while i'm crying while washing dishes like April Wheeler around the end of Revolutionary Road.
Beau I have a better date idea. THE MASTER is being re-released this Friday is select cites. There's always the Arc Light Hollywood?
Looking forward to this one. I just watched Delpy's 2 Days in Paris and 2 Days in New York on Netflix streaming. She is very adorable, with a crazy loveable family. Not a fan of Ethan Hawke (something about his cheating on Uma bums me out, or maybe it's his scraggly beard?), but the Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trilogy is a must see for romantics...