Some Thoughts on the Before Trilogy

A genius script. Genius dialogue. Genius performances. Genius plotting — especially that phone call scene, and the way the ending is put together.

Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight

The falling-in-love stretch in the first film reminded me of the time I spent with a girl I once knew. Just a few short hours, same as in the film, and the topics we ended up talking about were oddly similar — we talked about music, there were moments I caught myself looking at her a certain way, little games and small flutters of nerves along the way.

The ending, meanwhile, felt a lot like my last day with a high school classmate of mine — we both knew the countdown was coming, both knew we were about to be apart, and both knew that once we split up, there was no telling when we'd see each other again. Nothing really happened, no sleeping together, nothing like that at all — but somehow the feeling was still so specific, so intense. Like I wanted to leave every single one of my dreams right there, and carry none of it away with me.

I finished the other two films the next day. This trilogy is genuinely required viewing for a lifetime.