Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight

An American man called Jesse meets a French woman called Celine on a train in 1994, they spend a night walking around Vienna, fall in love a little 'Before Sunrise'. They part wistfully, agreeing to meet again a year from the day, and the last haunting glimpse we have of them is them smiling - perhaps at how silly that idea seems... Nine years later, Jesse has written a book about that day, and Celine walks into a book signing event in a quaint Parisian bookshop. They spend the time 'Before Sunset' walking around Paris, before Jesse has to catch a flight back to the States. They leave you, the viewer, wondering if at the end of that evening Jesse boards his flight back, or actually stays...

The latter apparently, because here they are, vacationing in Greece as a family another nine years later, and spending an all too rare date night away from real life and its cares and concerns. Or perhaps not, because although in keeping with the tradition of this brilliant now-trilogy of movies, 'nothing happens' - a lot does happen 'Before Midnight'...

Now let me say up-front that I'm an unabashed fan-boy of this phenomenon that Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy have so lovingly crafted. I've been dying to watch this movie for some time now - so I'm saying this is not a review. This is a rave, a reaction, a salute; one last, longing look at the swirls of chocolate mousse still in the bowl when you know you cannot possibly eat a lick more... this is the satisfied burp that tells you, oh no, you're too full!

Anyone that calls themselves a cinephile or a romantic must needs find a way to watch this movie; if you haven't yet watched the first two entries in the 'series', I'd suggest you watch those first. I suppose this movie stands well enough alone, but watching the first two movies will give it an extra dose of magic. I for one couldn't imagine watching this movie and not the others; or for that matter write about this latest movie without referencing the prior ones - yes, this will be a long post.

I shall do my utmost to avoid spoilers. That said, the fact that the movie exists is itself a spoiler for the end of the second movie, and some of the 'plot' has been revealed in the trailers, so those bits I will reference. And all of that is below the fold...