Movie Review – Before Triology

88 3 min 0

Before Sunrise feels like a “realistic love fantasy.” The idea of two strangers falling in love after getting off a train in Vienna is almost like a dream, but how it plays out feels so real. It’s just two people walking and talking for an hour and a half. That’s it. But the way they talk, the chemistry they share—it makes something as crazy as falling in love in a single day seem believable. The movie ends on a hopeful note, with Jesse and Celine promising to meet again in six months.

Then comes Before Sunset, nine years later, and now they’re in Paris. What’s amazing about this movie is how much more real it feels. Jesse and Celine aren’t those young, hopeful 23-year-olds anymore. They’re in their 30s, and life has left its marks on them. Regrets, personal struggles—it all shows. What’s cool about this film is how efficient it is. It’s only 80 minutes long, and not a second is wasted. From the flashbacks at the start to the very last scene where Celine is dancing and Jesse is smiling, every moment feels perfect. Somehow, the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is even better here. They don’t even kiss, yet you feel everything between them. Plus, the fact that both actors contributed to the writing adds so much depth—it feels like they’re pouring their own truths into the story.

Then there’s Before Midnight, and now it’s been another nine years. Jesse and Celine are in their 40s, married with kids, and facing real problems as a couple. For the first time in these films, we see them interacting with other characters, in a beautiful setting in Greece. This shows another side of their relationship—how they act with others versus how they act alone. The dreamy romance from the first film is gone, replaced by the weight of real life. They both cheated on their previous partners to be together, and now those decisions come back to haunt them. Their arguments cut deeper because of it. The truth is, the fantasy has faded, and they’re left to face the choices they made and what those choices mean.

The Before trilogy is a brilliant way of showing how relationships change and get complicated as time goes on.

What stood out to me is how both Jesse and Celine grow, little by little, showing more tolerance and maturity. And honestly, I want to be like that someday. To weather something messy but still find a reason to keep going. Is it brave? Is it love? Or is it just stubbornness? Are they staying because they’re good for each other, or because they’re too tangled to walk away?

And oh, how amazing it must have been to watch these films when they first came out. To see them in theaters, at the same time as you’re growing older too. That feeling of your own life changing alongside theirs.

But now, I can’t help but ask myself—am I selfish for wanting a fourth movie? It feels impossible, like their story is complete, but I still want to see where they are. What’s happened to them?

I guess it’s like life. You want to know what happens next, even when the story feels like it’s already ended. Makes me wonder, would they be happy? Would they still be together? Or would it just be another chapter of figuring it all out? I guess it’s like looking at the night sky and thinking of all the possibilities. You don’t need the answers, but you can’t stop wanting them. Maybe that’s what makes it all so great trilogy to watch.