“It’s not time they’re lost in; it’s perception.”
“How is that different from time?”
“How is that different from time?”
Film Club sort of resumed after a very long hiatus, with a few of us taking a trip to Brixton Ritzy to see Before Midnight. (Check out the link below for more information on the first two films, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.) http://sysprints.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/film-club-1.html
It was so strange to see Jessie and Celine finally together 10 years on from Before Sunset. This film was quite different to the first two, in that it focused on the difficulties of them being together. Here both work through the resentments they feel towards each other, resentments that they've both collected during the past two decades, from Jessie having to give up his life and move away from his 14 year old son, to Celine trying to take care of the family while working to save the world and at the same time retain her own sense of identity and independence.
What I really love about Before Midnight, in fact what I love about all of the films is that both the characters, are so real and so human and so flawed. It's so refreshing to see a film, completely stripped down of all grandeur and action, to be so simple in its nature and yet so engaging. As ever I loved the dialogue- the conversations they both shared, the arguments they engaged in, all revealing of themselves, their insecurities and enduring search to be at ease with who they are and how they've chosen to live- together yet apart.
We also come to see how much they've changed (and how little too) with both having made sacrifices, both trying to, in one way or another come to terms with the decisions and indecisions made throughout their journeys, separate and shared. It was also interesting to see how the dichotomy of perception/ time played out. It wasn't time that had caused this friction between them, but the way they had come to see things. Both have come to the realisation that life, is no fairy tale. I don't want to give too much away but I think the 'end' of this trilogy was pretty perfect.
We also come to see how much they've changed (and how little too) with both having made sacrifices, both trying to, in one way or another come to terms with the decisions and indecisions made throughout their journeys, separate and shared. It was also interesting to see how the dichotomy of perception/ time played out. It wasn't time that had caused this friction between them, but the way they had come to see things. Both have come to the realisation that life, is no fairy tale. I don't want to give too much away but I think the 'end' of this trilogy was pretty perfect.
I felt like I could really relate to Jessie in so many ways, as a writer, as someone who's also always felt disconnected to a degree, as someone who has tried to compensate and better understand through stories and story-telling. If there was one thing that really came through in this series is that nothing can substitute the spoken word. If you get a chance, def see this films. And to fans of the incredible Before- series, you won't be disappointed.
