Before Midnight is the most important cinematic love story of all time

18 years after Before Sunrise, Jesse and Celine are back in the third chapter of an unlikely series. And easy romance has given way to an extremely challenging relationship.

"Before Midnight"
(Image credit: Facebook.com/BeforeMidnight)

When director Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise hit theaters in 1995, there was no indication that it was just the first chapter in a series that would grow into the most important cinematic love story of all time. Sure, it was sweeter, smarter, and talkier than the average movie love story. But Before Sunrise didn't seem to promise anything beyond its low-key charms and the fresh-faced appeal of stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. When it opened that January — opposite Highlander 3: The Final DimensionBefore Sunrise earned appreciative reviews. But it certainly didn't seem like the kind of film that could spawn a series.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.