The Before Trilogy – Before Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight – Criterion Collection – Blu-ray

Indie film-maker Richard Linklater directs this trilogy of films about three meetings between American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Parisian Celine (Julie Delpy), which take place several years apart. In 'Before Sunrise' (1995) American student Jesse is travelling his way around Europe. He strikes up a conversation on a train with a young Parisian woman and on the spur of the moment invites her to spend the day with him in Vienna. As the day wears on, a casual acquaintance turns into something more profound. In 'Before Sunset' (2004) Jesse and Celine cross paths again in Paris where they get the chance to catch up on all that has occurred in their lives since their first meeting. Jesse, now married with a young child, has become a successful novelist. He is on a whirlwind European tour when he stops off at a bookshop in Paris, and Celine, who now works for an environmental organisation, comes to the reading. In the 80 minutes before his plane leaves the two stroll around the streets of Paris and discuss their views, experiences, hopes and dreams. Finally, in 'Before Midnight' (2013), 18 years have passed since Jesse and Celine first met. Jesse's novel based on the experience became a US bestseller and led him to meet Celine again after an interval of almost a decade, where the spark of their initial encounter was still present. Now the couple are living in Paris, proud parents to two young girls. However, their lives are far from perfect. Frustrated at her inability to match Jesse's professional success, Celine is considering a change in career. Jesse, meanwhile, is struggling to connect with his teenage son Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), who is visiting from Chicago for the summer.