We first met Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) in 1995, when they first met each other on a train traveling from Budapest to Vienna.  The film was Before Sunrise, directed by Richard Linklater, written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, and it was a stunning, realistic, glimpse at two people who develop an instant romantic spark. 2004’s Before Sunset found Jesse and Celine meeting once again, this time in France as Jesse is on a book tour.  Linklater again directed, sharing screenplay credit with Hawke and Delpy; the sequel became a unique collaboration between the principals. Now they have reunited again for Before Midnight, in which Jesse and Celine begin to question the fate which brought them together, and whether their feelings for each other have waned.  Linklater again directs, and again the stars have collaborated with him on the script.

I did not enjoy Before Midnight as much as the previous two films, probably because it is fraught with the perils of relationship ennui.  The first one was bursting with the promise of possibility, of romance and adventure, of risk and reward.  The second one was nostalgic and full of second-guessing, yet it too affirmed the power of love and romance.  This third entry does as well, but it isn’t as convincing.

In the first two films, the two characters really counterbalanced each other well, and the two stars complemented each other in many ways.  Before Midnight is not as well balanced, though it is delicately written and performed.  Watching them in Greece this time, I felt that Jesse had the patience of a saint and that Celine was almost looking for an excuse to bail.  To be sure, this is a very realistic (if dialogue-heavy) look at how a solid relationship can quickly disintegrate, but after seeing them pine after each other for two movies, I wanted them to experience the love they seek so ardently.  They have, but it’s before this movie gets going.

Even as their relationship starts to unravel, Jesse and Celine still genuinely care for each other, and maybe that will be enough to get them through.  But maybe not.  It would be sad if they cannot hold it together, but if realism is of primary importance, then perhaps they have reached the apex of their journey together.  In real life a split might be advisable, but this is a movie and I want a happy future for this couple.

It’s a neat cinematic idea to revisit this pair every nine years.  Michael Apted does it every seven years with a family he documents in the Up series (28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up, etc.).  Apted began in 1964 and most recently filmed 56 Up in 2012, documenting a group of friends for British television.  It’s a great concept, perhaps the ultimate reality show.  What Linklater and his stars are presenting is not as important or ambitious, yet it shares the same traits and aspirations as Apted’s project, and can offer more theatricality and imagination.  I look forward to their 2022 incarnation, as long as Jesse and Celine still love and respect each other.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  28 June 2013.