In the discussions of great trilogies, you might here Star Wars or Lord of the Rings casually brought up and discussed. But I submit that there is one trilogy that doesn't get enough exposure, and is the rare trilogy that has improved with every film (although I'd argue every film is great in their own right). That trilogy is the Before trilogy.
Each film is a meditation on love and connection at various stages of life; each film plays out in long conversations held by the leads, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). In Before Sunrise (1995), Jesse and Celine meet and spend a day together, eventually separating, but not before falling in love. Nine years later, they reunited in Before Sunset (2004), and then nine years after that, we got Before Midnight (2013), which sees them with children.
Before Midnight is a terrific meditation on relationships, how people can wear on each other, and what it takes to keep the spark of love alive. Linklater specializes in decade-spanning projects (his Boyhood (2014) is often cited as one of the best of the decade), but watching these actors age eighteen years, and inform the direction their characters take (Hawke and Delpy co-wrote this film with Linklater), giving these films a unique voice that you won't find in many other films. I adore these films and look forward to the next decade when hopefully, in 2022, we get yet another entry in the Before series.
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