Monday, July 8, 2013

Before Midnight

Last week I saw Before Midnight, the third installment in the story of Jesse and Celine. I loved their dialogues in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. This time the conversation included other characters and one raised equally interesting questions about life and relationships.

There was one line in particular near the end of the film that really struck me. I can't recall it verbatim, but at one point Jesse says this is real life, not a dream world.


I mulled this sentence over after leaving the movie. I feel it succinctly describes what I've been at a loss of word of how to say about my time abroad. I enjoyed my sojourn in France.  In fact, it was a year where I literally lived out a dream to live in France and travel around Europe. But when I got back, I felt a strong urge to deconstruct what I've come to feel is a romanticized myth of France. My intention is not to disparage a country that I again find myself under its spell. But there is seemingly an industry manufacturing dreams of a place where you'll be swept off your feet by a cute Frenchman and live happily ever after on a vineyard. Rather, I sought to come to terms with France as a real place, grittiness included. 

(photo by Cynthia K.)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

So how was the movie?

Vanessa said...

I really liked it. The characters are older than me though so from that point of view I found it a bit hard to relate. Maybe I identify more with them age-wise in Before Sunset or Before Sunrise. I think it's an honest portrayal of a 10+ year relationship though. I also really find subject of their conversations interesting and would read the dialogue as a text if it were available; that way you could stop and consider some of the topics at your own pace. I really liked how they brought in other characters this time instead of keeping it strictly between Jesse and Celine.

Did you see the movie? What did you think?