Before Midnight (2013)

We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 59 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Jesse
Julie Delpy	...	Celine
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick	...	Hank
Jennifer Prior	...	Ella
Charlotte Prior	...	Nina
Xenia Kalogeropoulou	...	Natalia
Walter Lassally	...	Patrick
Ariane Labed	...	Anna
Yiannis Papadopoulos	...	Achilleas (as Yannis Papadopoulos)
Athina Rachel Tsangari	...	Ariadni
Panos Koronis	...	Stefanos
Enrico Focardi	...	Child
Manolis Goussias	...	Child
Anouk Servera	...	Child
Yota Argyropoulou	...	Hotel Clerk

Storyline

It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters, but have spent a summer in Greece on the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | writer | dinner | jealousy | chapel | 

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Taglines:

Everything's better with maturity

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Greece

Language:

English Greek French

Release Date:

14 June 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Before Sunset Sequel

Filming Locations:

Kardamyli, Messinia, Greece

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$246,914, 26 May 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,114,627

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,380,979

Company Credits

Production Co:

Faliro House Productions, Venture Forth, Castle Rock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The house where they are staying is the famous residence of the late British travel writer Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, in Kalamitsi, near Kardamili, southern Peloponnese. He left it to the Benaki Foundation on his death in 2011, and the Foundation loaned it to the production. The character of "Patrick" is clearly a nod to the great writer and Hellenophile.

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Goofs

During Celine's "bimbo" impersonation, her arms change position (on and off the table and the chair's back) instantly between shots.

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Quotes

Celine: I feel close to you.
Jesse: Yeah?
Celine: But sometimes, I don't know? I feel like you're breathing helium and I'm breathing oxygen.
Jesse: [high pitched voice] What makes you say that?

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Sequels That Were Worth the Wait (2018)

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Soundtracks

Stou Mema ta traina
Music & Lyrics by Nikos Kalogeropoulos
Performed by Panayiotis Antellis
From the CD 'Alogomyges'
Courtesy of Nikos Kalogeropoulos

User Reviews

Before Midnight

Before Midnight is the third of three movies, shot about a decade apart each, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as lovers with a very push-pull dynamic. It's not necessary to see the first two movies to follow Before Midnight. The movie features long takes (sometimes not cutting for 10 minutes at a time) the story takes place over a day, and dialogue and naturalistic acting are paramount. There's a complexity to their characters and relationship that refuses to fully romanticize or demonize them. It's something of a realist romance in (deliberate) contrast the beautiful settings. Careful viewers will notice a handful of ironies that ground the romance in reality. I won't give examples here, or go into the details that keep me from giving this a 9 or 10 as many critics do. The movie is the proverbial breath of fresh air, though. I'd say that the main weakness of the movie stems from its strengths, in that when artists set out to make something so true to human nature (as opposed to fluffier rom coms or Nicholas Sparks movies) it's easy to hear the (few) false notes that are played. There are very few; and unless you're jonesing for a mere-nonsense 'entertainment' movie, this movie should appeal to practically anyone.