I’m not a fan of romantic movies, because I think they oversimplify something as complicated as love, reducing the relationship between two people to a journey that starts with the first kiss and ends with "happily ever after.”
So when it comes to watching romantic movies, I’m pickier than my dates.
Among the ones that I’ve watched, Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy is one of my most recommended. For me, the Before trilogy has never been about the fairy tale or how fate brings them together in the end, or about the adventure of getting off a train with a stranger. For me, it is about how Linklater shows the aging of romance across three movies.
Love stories talk about two people growing old together, but what about the love that’s between them? How does love age?
If that part of love intrigues you in some way, read on: in this article, we’re examining how Linklater shows the life of romance and how it ages across three movies: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight.
A Quick Recap…
Before Sunrise
An American, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), is traveling from Budapest to Vienna to catch an early morning flight back home when he meets a French woman, Celine (Julie Delpy), on the same train. They get to talking, and Jesse invites her to spend the remainder of his time in Europe with him before his flight the next day.
Celine agrees, and they hop off the train together. With no destination in mind, they wander around the city, experiencing new things together and falling in love.
However, in the end, their time in their “otherworld” comes to an end when Jesse finally boards that flight back home.
Before Sunset
It’s been nine years since Jesse and Celine’s meeting on the train. They have lost touch and moved on with their lives. However, Jesse ends up writing about his time with Celine in Vienna, turning it into a book, which becomes a global bestseller.
The story opens with Jesse visiting Paris for an event for his book, where he discovers Celine in his audience. Even this time, they are short on time—Jesse has a flight to catch in the next hour or so. As they make the most of their time, they end up confessing that they’re still in love with each other.
Even with different people in their lives, nothing was quite as close to that one night in Vienna. Unlike the last time, there is not a single moment of physical intimacy in their second meeting; however, this time, they really strip their souls naked. Linklater indicates that Jesse misses his flight…
Before Midnight
Nine more years have passed since then. Jesse and Celine are a couple. They haven’t officially married, but they have twin daughters who are about 7 years old. We catch them as Jesse is seeing off Hank, his son from his first marriage, who was visiting, before his new family heads out for a vacation to Greece.
In the last days, they spend a night in a quaint Greek hotel without the kids, just the two of them, looking to rekindle their love that’s lost under the weight of responsibilities and raising children.
The Aging of Romance in the Before Trilogy
I’ve always loved the two sequels more than the first movie, because I feel that the romance in the former is more grounded in reality. But together, they’re one holy trinity!
We already know that dialogue is a pivotal part of the Before trilogy. Reportedly, Hawke and Delpy were greatly involved in the writing process and received co-writing credits.
Let’s break down how the Before trilogy captures the aging of romance through Celine and Jesse’s love story.
Love Mirrors the Cycle of Life
The Young Love
Before SunriseSource: Columbia Pictures
The love was young and wild when they first met—daring, adventurous, and free. It was more about discovering the other person while losing yourself.
Neither of them wants to know about each other’s flaws, and they deliberately embrace the delusion.
As Jesse says, if he turns out to be a jerk, she can always catch the next train to Paris. Think of love as a young, ambitious, go-getter individual. What’s wrong with that?
Their chemistry in the first film reflects how love behaves like a teenager, who cares more about the adrenaline rush than the risk of impulse. Their conversation is centered on their dreams and ambitions, while they explore each other without any inhibitions or judgments.
The Middle-Aged Love
Before Sunset (2004)Source: Warner Independent Pictures
In Before Sunset, we realize that their love has become unconditional. It’s not like they had to wait for each other; however, over nine years, as they took their own paths in love after that one night in Vienna, they come to realize that what they had is deeper than a fling.
They didn’t have to nurture that emotion with no expectations in sight, but they did.
And that’s the proof of true love right there. Think of a person who’s just discovered an important purpose of their life.
The Elderly Love
Before Midnight (2013)Source: Sony Pictures Classic
Before Midnight depicts an “elderly” form of love—strangely, it’s more insecure now, lost in its own complexities and loneliness.
What I’m trying to say here is that love mirrors our life—it’s young, it goes through its mid-life crisis, and then matures, very much like humans do. Some relationships stand the test of time, while others wither away. Now, whether that end is in glory or shame, that’s for us to choose.
In the final movie, we witness the cracks in Jesse and Celine’s “perfect” romance. Life has been taking over their relationship, inadvertently, and the love they have for each other is paying a hefty price. The full-blown argument between them on their night of romantic getaway humanizes their love.
In Before Midnight, when Jesse and Celine reunite after a huge fight, it proves how love isn’t a prize you win but like a child that is waiting to be raised by you. It’s imperfect, but it's your kid—you never give up on it.
The Before trilogy reminds us that love ages as we do—it grows, and is meant to die one day. Before you, or after you, that’s up to you.
What is your favorite takeaway from the Before trilogy?
