If you have not caught up, I have been into the Before movies since August and I have been busy taking my time marinating in the plot, the characters, and the overall feeling that the movies brought to me. I know that these movies have been released ages ago, and I am just so thankful that I can still access them. You just need to know where to search. 😜

With just the opening scene of this movie, the audience is given the narrative that the story continues several years after the Before Sunset timeline. Jesse is talking to his son at the airport, bidding him goodbye as he flies back to the US. And when Jesse exits the airport, a delightful realization comes to me as I see Celine waiting for him alongside a car, with two twin girls sleeping in the backseat. 😳 So that's what happened in that cliffhanger of movie two. This is the result of the decisions they made at that time. They did choose each other in the end. As an audience rooting for them, I was already in cloud nine within these few minutes of the film.

But then reality bites. As they drive away from the airport and travel to their next destination, they discuss stuff. Here comes the conflict. Career decisions. Priorities. Clashing of point of view. The way they talked to each other made it clear that the honeymoon phase of their relationship was long over. They were already so used to each other, and they now argue like my parents (oops 😗). And that's the beauty of this movie series. These three films were able to portray love in different stages, and I'm so onboard for it. 

I think most people would agree with me that the cringiest part of this film was their fight in the hotel room. It felt like all the can of worms and dirty laundry were excavated from both of their chests and they were slamming each argument to each other's faces. But there's one thing I observed: their arguments were more on the defensive rather than the offensive. They were both giving their points on why they think they've done better in keeping their relationship. They were questioning each other's priorities, but not really blaming each other directly. Based on other viewers' feedback (c/o Reddit), couple fights can go way way nastier than this. Oooh. I cannot imagine being hurled into this kind of drama. I hope my future husband and I will get along well. I do understand that fights are healthy between couples, but I hope each one ends with a resolution so that the same issue won't rise again and again in future arguments. 😖

I have to say that the ending of Before Midnight was not as satisfying as the first two, given that this is the final installment. Which brings me to the conclusion that this might not be the last one. Upon quick googling, I found out that these three movies had a pattern - they were released 9 years apart from each other. If the producers follow the same direction, the next movie should be released next year, 2022. However, the lead actress that played Celine, Julie Delpy, has expressed her resistance to revisit the characters and the story again. I do want another one, and this bit of news kind of saddened me. But maybe it's just best to leave the story where it ended on Before Midnight, to seal the magic of their love story. What's worse than spoiling the whole narrative with a forced sequel, right?

Being able to watch these three movies has been a wonderful and entertaining experience. I can't wait to bring my ideas and opinions back to my friends when we discuss these movies in our non-work Zoom sessions. 🥰

The story started in the wonderful city of Paris wherein we see Jesse in a library, talking about a book that he has published, apparently about the encounter that he experienced with Celine, nine years ago. With just the premise of this movie, my heart was already sinking. This just meant that they weren't able to meet as they planned a year after at that train station. 😢💔 

Unceremoniously, we see Jesse suddenly locking eyes with Celine, who was apparently watching him from afar. Jesse, of course, immediately takes his excuse from the people who were attending his book tour to go meet with Celine. I thought this scene could have been more dramatic, like a slo-mo scene wherein Jesse will have this look of surprise when he finally sees Celine. But oh well, I guess this is just the style of this movie - to make the scenes flow in real time and as realistic as possible.

With a few hours to spare before Jesse catches his flight, he walks with Celine to go grab some coffee in a nearby shop. Of course they catch up and tell each other how awkward this moment was because well it's been ages since they've met each other on that day at the train station. And I'm glad Celine raised that question if Jesse did show up in that train station a year after. And oh my gosh, my heart broke for him when he finally confessed that he did, pushing it off like it was not really a bid deal that Celine didn't come (well she had a legit reason altogether). 

During the initial parts of the movie, I felt like Jesse really wasn't able to move on from Celine. He's still crazy for her but it's the opposite for Celine. For her, that experience with Jesse long time ago was just a wonderful dream that she just had to keep as a wonderful memory while moving on with life. It hurts to realize that they were no longer in the same page in terms of their romance for each other.

But wait, was that a wedding ring on Jesse's finger? Oh no. And so apparently Jesse was already married with a child. And I couldn't help but be on Celine's side when she said "You come back here, married and with a child? Screw you!" and then I slowly realized that Celine apparently wasn't able to move on as well.

I also noticed that their perspective have changed also. Jesse was the more idealistic type of person this time, wondering if Celine's grandmother just lived a day longer, they might have met on the train station again. He even mentioned the concept of reincarnation, as if he believed in it this time (in the first movie he said he didn't). On the other hand, Celine was the more realistic one, being active with taking care of the environment and facing head-on several issues of society. 

Celine was ready to let Jesse go, always reminding him of the flight that he needed to catch, but it was Jesse who was holding on, requesting her to stay a little bit longer. They end up being in Celine's apartment wherein she gets to play a song that she wrote that was apparently about Jesse. And the film eventually fades out leaving the audience hanging on what happened next.

That was a legit cliffhanger. I hated and loved it at the same time because I didn't see it coming. When the credits rolled in, I was like "Are you serious? Is this how it ends?" Seriously I would have thrown some popcorn around if I saw this in the movie. And maybe this was why this trilogy was just a hit. Imagine the conversations that people had, exchanging ideas on what happened next in the movie. To think that the next movie would be released 9 years after. 😮 For me, the torture would be short-lived as I would be watching the final chapter this weekend.