Everyone who knows my taste in film is aware that I am drawn to the gloom and doom films rather than romances or comedies. There are a few exceptions though - one of them is the trilogy surrounding Jesse and Celine. The first film, "Before Sunrise" was released in 1995. Jesse (played by the very charming Ethan Hawke) is an American tourist who meets Celine (at least equally charming: Julie Delphy), a French girl, in Vienna and decides to spend 12 hours with her. The ending of the film is left open and the viewer has to wait for a whole 9 years to find out if Celine and Jesse will have a reunion. The second film - which is my personal favorite - "Before sunrise" lets Jesse, now a successful author, and Celine meet again in Paris. The interesting part about this film is that it is set in real time. The couple has 1.5 hours together before Jesse has to catch his flight back to the U.S. And again, it ends with the unknown.. One can only assume that Jesse will miss his flight and stay in Paris with Celine instead. Where the first two parts are romantic, without ever coming across as cheesy or kitschy, the third part "Before Midnight", portrays a different side. The romance is still there, but it is dominated by the perks of being parents, by the daily struggles of work and marriage. Like in the other two films, the conversations between the two of them make the film so miraculous. But they still do talk. Which does seem almost miraculous to me, as many married couples don't have those ongoing conversations after nine plus years of marriage. There is hardly a second of silence between the two of them, even when they fight. Like "Before sunrise", Hawke and Delphy co-wrote the script to the film and I can only wonder how many parallels between their real life's have flown into the script..
The chemistry between those two actors is flawless in all three films and I found myself almost being disappointed when I read that they are not - and never have been - a real couple.
These films are not just enjoyable to watch, they also teach you a lesson or two about relationships, about life in general..
I would certainly wish for a fourth film in another nine years but it looks like this might be the last one - even more a reason to watch it.
