Before Midnight

This article is about the 2013 American romantic drama film. For other uses, see Before Midnight (disambiguation).

Before Midnight
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Linklater
Written byRichard Linklater
Ethan Hawke
Julie Delpy
Based onCharacters
by Richard Linklater
and Kim Krizan
Produced byRichard Linklater
Christos V. Konstantakopoulos
Sara Woodhatch
StarringEthan Hawke
Julie Delpy
CinematographyChristos Voudouris
Edited bySandra Adair
Music byGraham Reynolds
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • January 20, 2013 (2013-01-20) (Sundance)
  • May 24, 2013 (2013-05-24) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
Greece
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[2]
Box office$23.3 million[3]

Before Midnight is a 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The sequel to Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), it is the third installment in the Before trilogy. The film follows Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Delpy), now a couple, as they spend a summer vacation in Greece with their children.

Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy began developing a third film in 2011, wishing to replicate the nine-year gap between the first two installments. Principal photography began in August 2012, and took place entirely on the Peloponnese coast in Southern Greece, including the Kardamyli home once owned by author Patrick Leigh Fermor. Like its predecessors, Before Midnight has a minimal plot, with considerable screentime devoted to extended conversations between the characters.

Before Midnight premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013. It began a domestic limited release on May 24, 2013, and went on general release on June 14, 2013. It grossed $23 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in the trilogy. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its exploration of romance and age, its screenplay, Linklater's direction, and acting performances. The film garnered many accolades and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Delpy.

Plot

[edit]

Nine years since rekindling their relationship,[N 2] Jesse and Céline have become parents to twin girls. Jesse reflects on his inability to maintain his relationship with his teenage son, Hank. Hank flies home to Chicago after vacationing with the couple and their children on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, and lives with his mother, Jesse's ex-wife.

Jesse is a successful novelist, while Céline is at a career crossroads, considering a job with the French government. The couple discuss their concerns over Hank, as well as Céline's career, and reflect on love and life over dinner with friends. Their friends pay for a hotel room for the couple; while walking to the hotel, Jesse and Céline reminisce about their initial meetings, and wonder if they would become a couple if they met in their present state.

After reaching the hotel, they begin to get intimate but are interrupted by a phone call from Hank, who seems to have bonded with Céline more than Jesse. They eventually have a fierce argument, expressing fears about the strength of their relationship. Jesse wants them to consider moving to Chicago so he can be closer to Hank, which Céline thinks will cost her any chance of a career outside her family. During the argument, Céline leaves and returns twice. Then she tells Jesse she thinks she no longer loves him.

Céline leaves their room the third time and sits alone in the hotel's outdoor restaurant. Jesse joins her and jokes that he is a time traveler (referencing their first meeting),[N 3] bringing her a letter from her 82-year-old self, describing this night as one of the best of their lives. Unamused, Céline says their fantasies will never match the imperfect reality. Jesse says while their love may be imperfect, it is real. After a moment, Céline joins in Jesse's joke, and the two reconcile.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy had all discussed doing a sequel to Before Sunset (or the third in a trilogy). In November 2011, Hawke said that he, Delpy and Linklater

"have been talking a lot in the last six months. All three of us have been having similar feelings, that we're kind of ready to revisit those characters. There's nine years between the first two movies and, if we made the film next summer, it would be nine years again, so we started thinking that would be a good thing to do. So we're going to try and write it this year."[4][5]

In June 2012, Hawke confirmed that the sequel to Before Sunset would be filmed that summer.[6] Soon after, Delpy denied filming would take place that year.[7] By that August, numerous reports emerged from Messenia, Greece, that the film was being shot there.[8] The completion of the sequel, Before Midnight, was announced on September 5, 2012.[9] Linklater said that, after ten weeks of writing and rehearsing, the film was made in 15 days for less than $3 million.[2] He announced plans to premiere the film at a festival in early 2013.[10]

Release

[edit]

Before Midnight premiered on January 20, 2013, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.[11] It had its international premiere out of competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.[12]

The film opened to general audiences on May 24, 2013, at five theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas.[13] It was released wide in 897 theaters on June 14, 2013.[14]

Box office

[edit]

The film grossed $8,110,621 domestically and $15,141,309 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $23,251,930.[3]

Critical reception

[edit]

Like the previous entry of the trilogy, Before Midnight received widespread critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 98% based on 207 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Building on the first two installments in Richard Linklater's well-crafted Before trilogy, Before Midnight offers intelligent, powerfully acted perspectives on love, marriage, and long-term commitment."[15] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 94 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] It was listed as the third-best film of the year after 12 Years a Slave and Gravity.[17] It was the second-best reviewed film of 2013 according to Rotten Tomatoes, after Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity.[18]

According to Total Film's Philip Kemp, "As with its two predecessors — and with the films of French New Wave director Éric Rohmer, presiding deity of this kind of cinema—Midnight's essentially a film about people talking. But when the talk's this good, this absorbing and revealing and witty and true, who's going to complain?... [It's a] more-than-worthy, expectation-exceeding chapter in one of modern cinema's finest love stories. As honest, convincing, funny, intimate and natural as its predecessors."[19]

Perry Seibert of AllMovie also praised the film, writing: "The screenwriting trio fill the movie with long, discursive conversations (there are only two scenes in the first 20 minutes) that feel utterly improvised when they are performed, but are far too deftly structured to be anything other than the work of consummate artists."[20] Eric Kohn, from Indiewire, gave the film a rave review, adding it to his list of Top 10 Films of 2013. He wrote that "With Before Midnight, Richard Linklater has completed one of the finest movie trilogies of all time."[21] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film "intimate and intelligent".[22]

Accolades

[edit]
Award / Film Festival Date Category Recipients Result
Academy Awards[23] March 2, 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke Nominated
AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards[24] January 6, 2014 Best Screenwriter Richard Linklater (with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke) Won
Austin Film Critics Association Awards[25][26] December 17, 2013 Best Film Before Midnight Nominated
Best Austin Film Richard Linklater Won
Bodil Awards[27] February 1, 2014 Best US Feature Richard Linklater Nominated
Boston Online Film Critics Association[28] December 8, 2013 Ten Best Films of the Year Before Midnight Won
Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[29][30] December 16, 2013 Best Screenplay: Adapted Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards[31][32] January 16, 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Louis XIII Genius Award Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
Denver Film Critics Society[33][34] January 13, 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society[35] December 13, 2013 Best Film Before Midnight Nominated
Best Actress Julie Delpy Nominated
Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[36] January 12, 2014 Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Julie Delpy Nominated
Gotham Awards[37] December 2, 2013 Best Film Before Midnight Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival[38] October 17, 2013 Screenwriter(s) of the Year Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
Houston Film Critics Society Awards[39] December 15, 2013 Best Picture Before Midnight Nominated
Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Indiana Film Critics Association[40] December 16, 2013 Best Film Before Midnight Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
Independent Spirit Awards[41][42] March 1, 2014 Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Best Female Lead Julie Delpy Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association[43] December 8, 2013 Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
National Society of Film Critics[44] January 4, 2014 Best Actress Julie Delpy Nominated
Best Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
New York Film Critics Online[45] December 8, 2013 Best Picture Before Midnight Nominated
Best Films of 2013 Before Midnight Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards[46] December 16, 2013 Best Film Before Midnight Nominated
Best Actress Julie Delpy Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society[47] December 11, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Won
San Francisco Film Critics Circle[48] December 13, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Satellite Awards[49][50] February 23, 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards[51][52] December 16, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Best Art-House or Festival Film Before Midnight Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association[53][54] December 16, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Best Actress Julie Delpy Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards[55] December 9, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle[56] December 16, 2013 Screenwriting Award Julie Delpy Won
Best Equality of Sexes Before Midnight Won
Best Screen Couple Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke Won
Writers Guild of America Award[57] February 1, 2014 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Nominated

^[I] Each date is linked to the article about the awards held that year.

Top ten lists

[edit]

According to Metacritic, the film appeared on the following critics' top 10 lists of 2013.[58]

The A.V. Club film critics named "The fight" scene the Scene of the Year.[77]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The "Castle Rock Entertainment" logo does not appear in this film's opening.
  2. ^ As depicted in Before Sunset (2004)
  3. ^ As depicted in Before Sunrise (1995)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BEFORE MIDNIGHT (15)". Sony Pictures Releasing. British Board of Film Classification. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Borrelli, Christopher (May 24, 2013). "Richard Linklater finishes trilogy with 'Before Midnight'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Before Midnight". The Numbers. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  4. ^ Baronnet, Brigitte (November 18, 2011). "Ethan Hawke, l'interview blind-test". AlloCiné. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  5. ^ Shoard, Catherine (November 23, 2011). "Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy wake up to possibility of Before Sunrise sequel". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Smith, Nigel M. (June 13, 2012). "'The Woman in the Fifth' Star Ethan Hawke Gets Personal and Talks 'Before Sunset' Follow-Up". IndieWire. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (August 10, 2012). "Exclusive: Julie Delpy Says Despite Recent Reports, The 'Before Sunset' Sequel Won't Shoot This Summer". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  8. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (August 28, 2012). "Rumor: Is The 'Before Sunrise'/ 'Before Sunset' Follow-Up Currently Shooting In Greece?". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike (September 5, 2012). "Toronto: Richard Linklater Completes 'Before Midnight' Just Before Fest Begins". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  10. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (October 3, 2012). "'Before Midnight' will look at Hawke and Delpy all grown up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  11. ^ "Before Midnight - Festival Program". Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  12. ^ "Berlin Completes Official Program; 'Before Midnight' and Final River Phoenix Film In The Mix". Indiewire. January 18, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "Before Midnight Dates". Before Midnight Official Website. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  14. ^ "Before Midnight". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  15. ^ "Before Midnight". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Before Midnight". Metacritic. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  17. ^ "2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "The 15th Annual Golden Tomato Awards". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  19. ^ Kemp, Philip (June 17, 2013). "A great conversation starter..." Total Film. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  20. ^ Seibert, Perry. "Before Midnight (2013)". allmovie.com. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  21. ^ Eric, Kohn (December 5, 2013). "Critic's Pick The Top 10 Films of 2013 According to Indiewire's Film Critic". Indiewire. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  22. ^ "Before Midnight-review". The Guardian. June 20, 2013.
  23. ^ "2014 Oscar Nominees". AMPAS. January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  24. ^ "AARP Names '12 Years a Slave' Best Movie for Grownups". AFI. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  25. ^ "2013 Awards". Austin Film Critics Association. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  26. ^ Knegt, Peter (December 18, 2013). "'12 Years a Slave' and 'Her' Split Four More Critics Groups' Awards". Indiewire. Snagfilms. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  27. ^ "'Nymphomaniac,' 'The Hunt' Lead Nominations for Denmark's Bodil Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. January 7, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  28. ^ Chitwood, Adama (December 7, 2013). "12 YEARS A SLAVE Sweeps Boston Online Film Critics Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actress". Collider. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  29. ^ Stone, Sasha (December 13, 2013). "12 Years a Slave Leads Chicago Film Critics Association". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  30. ^ Gire, Dann (December 17, 2013). "Chicago film critics name '12 Years a Slave' 2013's best movie". The Daily Herald. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  31. ^ "American Hustle, 12 Years A Slave Lead BFCA's Critics Choice Movie Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  32. ^ "Critics' Choice Awards: The Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  33. ^ Adams, Ryan (January 6, 2014). "Denver Film Critics Society Nominations". Awards Daily. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  34. ^ Adams, Ryan (January 13, 2014). "Denver Film Critics Society Award Winners". Awards Daily. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  35. ^ Long, Tom (December 9, 2013). "Detroit Film Critics Society nominates top films". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  36. ^ "Golden Globes Nominations: The Full List". Variety. January 11, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  37. ^ Anne Thompson & Beth Hanna (October 24, 2013). "2013 Gotham Nominations, Led by '12 Years a Slave', 'Inside Llewyn Davis' and 'Upstream Color', Boost Spirits and Oscar Hopefuls". Thompson on Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  38. ^ "Hollywood Film Awards launch 2013 movie award season". Daily News. New York. October 22, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  39. ^ "12 Years a Slave wins Pic, Cuaron Director for Houston Film Critics". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  40. ^ "2013 Indiana Film Journalists Association winners". Hitfix. December 16, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  41. ^ Johnson, Mark (November 26, 2013). "Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced!". The Awards Circuit. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  42. ^ "'12 Years a Slave' Wins Best Feature at Spirit Awards". Variety. March 1, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  43. ^ "'Gravity,' 'Her' Tie for Best Picture With L.A. Film Critics". Variety. December 8, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  44. ^ "Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor: 'Inside Llewyn Davis' Dominates National Society Of Film Critics Awards". Indiewire. January 4, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  45. ^ Gray, Tim (December 8, 2013). "'12 Years' Tops New York Online Critics Awards". Variety. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  46. ^ "The Online Film Critics Society Announces 17th Annual Awards". Online Film Critics Society. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  47. ^ "2013 San Diego Film Critics Society winners". Hitfix. December 11, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  48. ^ Stone, Sasha (December 13, 2013). "San Francisco Film Critics Nominations". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  49. ^ Kilday, Gregg (December 2, 2013). "Satellite Awards: '12 Years a Slave' Leads Film Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  50. ^ "Satellite Awards: '12 Years a Slave' Wins Best Motion Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. February 23, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  51. ^ Stone, Sasha (December 9, 2013). "The St. Louis Film Critics Nominations". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  52. ^ "2013 St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards". December 16, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  53. ^ Lacey, Liam (December 17, 2013). "Toronto film critics name Coen brothers movie the best of 2013". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  54. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (December 17, 2013). "Toronto critics pick Inside Llewyn Davis". Metron News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  55. ^ "The 2013 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  56. ^ Treadway, Paul (December 17, 2013). "Women critics hail Philomena, Enough Said, Before Midnight". United Press International. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  57. ^ "WGA Awards 2014: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  58. ^ Dietz, Jason (December 8, 2013). "2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  59. ^ "Justin Chang's Top 10 Films of 2013". Variety. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  60. ^ a b c d e f "The best of film 2013: The ballots". The A.V. Club. December 17, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  61. ^ "50 Best Movies Of 2013". Total Film. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  62. ^ "2. Before Midnight from Best of 2013: Top 10 Movies". E! Online UK. January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  63. ^ "Culture - The 10 best films of 2013". BBC. December 24, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  64. ^ "The Film3 top 10 best films of 2013". 3 News. December 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  65. ^ "50 Best Films of 2013". Film Comment. December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  66. ^ "Kristopher Tapley's Top 10 Movies of 2013". HitFix. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  67. ^ "The Best Movies of 2013". The Diamondback. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  68. ^ "13 Best Movies of 2013". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  69. ^ Krycek, Lukas (January 12, 2014). "Lukas Krycek reviews: Top ten films of 2013". Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  70. ^ "Stephanie Zacharek's Favorite Movies of 2013". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  71. ^ "Digital Spy's 20 best movies of 2013: 10-1". Digital Spy. December 22, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  72. ^ "Gravity is Chris Vognar's No. 1 movie of the year. What else made the Top 10?". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  73. ^ "2013 in review: My 30 top films". Some Came Running. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  74. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (December 6, 2013). "The Braddies 2013: Peter Bradshaw nominates his films of the year". The Guardian. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  75. ^ "The Best Movies of the Year". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  76. ^ "The best movies we saw in 2013". The Week. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  77. ^ "The best film scenes of 2013". Avclub.com. December 16, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Before Midnight.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Before_Midnight&oldid=1264349665"