Taken as a body of work, the Before trilogy asks us to consider the tension between its fantasy and naturalism, and the extent of our own ability to exert similar control over a lonely world that ushers us through life without concern for whether we’ve found any meaning in it.
Part of what makes Jesse and Céline’s connection so electric is the difference between being heard and being understood. When you feel understood, it feels like the first and most important time you’ve told the story. You feel like you’re alone in the world together.
Before Sunset reveals the sobering knowledge of our 30’s: that special connections happen only a handful of times.
On the Before trilogy, and when midnight comes for love.