JESSE and CÉLINE. FOREVER.

I finally got to see Before Midnight a few days ago. 

I might not have been in the perfect state of mind to go see a movie like that, but my undying love for those those two just made me wander into a movie theater on 86th street after a Sephora haul.

In this final installment, Jesse and Céline are in their forties, he had left his wife for his French love and she had given birth to their cute twin girls, Nina and Ella. Julie Delpy is still stunningly beautiful, graceful and smart, Ethan Hawke is still adorable. Despite the horrible hair (dude, please, you're no 20-something boy anymore!!!). Their characters are together, swamped with the trivialities of everyday family life, but they are still the Jesse and Céline we knew and loved in the previous two movies. It's not all sugar and spice and everything nice. They fight and get annoyed with each other, and they show how deep their love is. All in a funny and intelligent way.

When the first movie, Before Sunrise, was originally released in 1995, I was at the hight of puberty and way too mainstream to be interested in something like that, so I first saw the movie a few years later, towards the end of high school. At that point, I have evolved into this hopeless romantic, so the story of two smart and charming and somewhat completely relatable people casually meting and immediately knowing they were the perfect match, was exactly my cup of tea. And the cliffhanger ending was perfect, as it left enough room for me to fantasize about their winter reunion and subsequently happily ever after.

Having seen Sunrise quite late meant that I did not have to wait 9 whole years to learn what happened. Before Sunset, the sequel to Sunrise, was released in 2004. It was a bad year for me, romance- and non-romance-wise, but I still loved and enjoyed the movie, even more than the first. All their banter and connection and the sheer amount of topics they manage to cover...

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I can not believe it's been 9 years since we last caught up with those two (I'll admit I binge-wathched the first two movies back to back two or three times, but don't tell, ok?). Just like with the first, Sunset ended with a cliffhanger. Which the third movie of the series, brilliantly resolves. 

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Taking a look at all three theatrical posters one next to the other clearly represents this couple's evolution. And just like with the films, the Parisian one, for Before Sunset, is my favourite. 

And to finish off, one of my favourite quotes from the series (from Sunset, actually):

             C: Do you think you would have finished the book if you were fucking someone every 5 

                  minutes?

              J: I might have welcomed the challenge!

To Jesse and Céline. Forever.

Jules