Before trilogy

{{Short description|Romance trilogy by Richard Linklater}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Before'' trilogy}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox film | italic_title = no | name = The Before Trilogy | image = Before Trilogy.jpg | caption = Criterion Collection cover art | based_on = | director = Richard Linklater | screenplay = Richard Linklater Kim Krizan (''Sunrise'') Ethan Hawke (''Sunset'', ''Midnight'') Julie Delpy (''Sunset'', ''Midnight'') | story = Richard Linklater (''Sunset'') Kim Krizan (''Sunset'') | starring = {{Plainlist| * Ethan Hawke * Julie Delpy }} | producer = Anne Walker-McBay (''Sunrise'', ''Sunset'') Richard Linklater (''Midnight'') Christos V. Konstantakopoulos (''Midnight'') Sara Woodhatch (''Midnight'') | studio = {{Plainlist| * Castle Rock Entertainment * Detour Filmproduction * Filmhaus Films (''Sunrise'') * Faliro House Productions (''Midnight'') * Venture Forth (''Midnight'') }} | distributor = {{Plainlist| * Columbia Pictures (''Sunrise'') * Warner Independent Pictures (''Sunset'') * Sony Pictures Classics (''Midnight'') }} | released = | runtime = 290 minutes | country = United States Austria (''Sunrise'') Greece (''Midnight'') | language = English | budget = $7.5 million<ref name="numbers" /> | gross = $61.5 million }}

'''The ''Before'' Trilogy''' consists of three romance films directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Beginning with ''Before Sunrise'' (1995), and continuing with two sequels, ''Before Sunset'' (2004) and ''Before Midnight'' (2013). The films were all written by Linklater, along with Kim Krizan on the first film, and with Hawke and Delpy on the last two.{{Efn|Linklater and Krizan received story credit for their work on the sequel (''Before Sunset'').<ref>{{Citation |title=BEFORE SUNSET Writer Kim Krizan & The Life of Anaïs Nin - The Film Scene with Illeana Douglas |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvOSiSIQ4XM |language=en |access-date=2022-11-24}}</ref>}}

Set and filmed at nine-year intervals, the films chronicle the romantic relationship between Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Delpy) at three periods of their lives. The characters also make cameo appearances in Linklater's animated anthology film ''Waking Life'' (2001). The first film was distributed by Columbia Pictures,{{Efn|Whilst Columbia Pictures distributed the first film in 1995, Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the film, as they own the post-1994 Castle Rock library through Turner Entertainment.}} while Warner Independent Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics distributed the second and third film, respectively. All films were produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, with ''Before Midnight'' also being produced by Venture Forth and Linklater's production company, Detour Filmproduction.

The films are considered minimal, consisting mostly of monologues and casual conversation with extended dialogue between the characters. Contrasting ideas and perspectives on life and love are detailed, with the series referencing time, self-discovery, age, loss, gender, and parentage; it is considered an exploration of postmodern romance. The trilogy received widespread critical acclaim. Among its numerous accolades, the series was nominated for two Academy Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Delpy for ''Before Midnight''. The trilogy grossed $61.5 million worldwide against a combined budget of $7.5 million.

== Films == {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! scope="col" style="width:15%;" | Film ! scope="col" | U.S. release date ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" | Screenwriter(s) ! scope="col" | Story by ! scope="col" | Producer(s) |- ! scope="row" | ''Before Sunrise'' | {{Start date|1995|01|27}} | rowspan="3" | Richard Linklater | colspan="2"| Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan | rowspan="2"| Anne Walker-McBay |- ! scope="row" | ''Before Sunset'' | {{Start date|2004|07|02}} | Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke | Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan |- ! scope="row" | ''Before Midnight'' | {{Start date|2013|05|24}} | colspan="2"| Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke | Richard Linklater, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos and Sara Woodhatch |- |}

=== ''Before Sunrise'' === {{main|Before Sunrise}}

''Before Sunrise'' is set in a single night in Vienna as Jesse, an American student traveling through Europe, and Céline, a French student visiting relatives, meet on a Eurail train to Paris. They wander the streets of Vienna and fall in love, but they go their separate ways and agree to meet again in the future.

=== ''Before Sunset'' === {{main|Before Sunset}}

''Before Sunset'' takes place nine years after the first film, and is set in a single afternoon in Paris. Jesse, now a married father and a best-selling author, meets Céline while on tour promoting his latest book, which retells their meeting in Vienna. They wander Paris and lament on not following through with their plans to reunite. At the end of the film, Jesse goes to Céline's apartment, deciding to miss his flight home to stay with her.

=== ''Before Midnight'' === {{main|Before Midnight}}

''Before Midnight'' takes place nine years after the second film, and is set in a single day on the Peloponnese coast in Greece. Jesse and Céline, now a couple with twin daughters, argue over Jesse's desire to relocate to Chicago to be closer to his son, Hank, while Céline wishes to stay in Paris to take a job with the French government. Despite their relationship being tested, they eventually reconcile.

=== Potential fourth film === Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have discussed continuing the series further, with changing levels of interest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hawke and Delpy reunite 'Before Sunset'|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/hawke-delpy-reunite-sunset-wbna5334809|access-date=2021-01-21|website=TODAY.com|language=en}}</ref>

In March 2020, Hawke stated a sequel may likely not follow the precedent of a nine-year gap between films. "If the first three were all nine years apart, the fourth would not follow that trajectory," he said. "[Linklater] would want a different path but we enjoy working together and being together. We have to make sure we have something to say."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharf|first=Zack|date=2020-03-19|title=Ethan Hawke Is Confident a Fourth ‘Before’ Movie Will Blow Up the Series’ Timeline|url=https://www.indiewire.com/video/ethan-hawke-fourth-before-movie-timeline-1202219134/|access-date=2021-01-21|website=IndieWire|language=en}}</ref>

In June 2021, Delpy said that she had turned down going ahead with a sequel,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=2021-06-21 |title=Julie Delpy Says She Turned Down Fourth ‘Before’ Movie While Considering Retirement |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/06/julie-delpy-turned-down-fourth-before-movie-retiring-1234645885/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=2021-06-22}}</ref> later clarifying: "All three of us agreed that we couldn't come up with something good for a fourth one". She said that there was some discussion of the direction a fourth film might take, but, "it was basically an idea that none of us liked. That was the end of it. It was half of a bad idea that went around and we were like, ‘Let’s not do it.’"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |date=2021-06-25 |title= Julie Delpy Says She Didn’t Turn Down Fourth ‘Before’ Movie, Because It Was Never Happening Anyway |url= https://variety.com/2021/film/news/julie-delpy-before-ethan-hawke-richard-linklater-1235005612/ |website=Variety |access-date=2021-06-25 }}</ref>

==Production== ''Before Sunrise'' was inspired by a woman whom Richard Linklater met in a toy shop in Philadelphia in 1989.<ref name="Thompson">{{cite news | last = Thompson | first = Ben | title = The First Kiss Takes So Long | work = Sight and Sound | date = May 1995}}</ref> Due to the prevalence of dialogue, Linklater opted to collaborate on the screenplay with Kim Krizan, who previously appeared in his films ''Slacker'' (1990) and ''Dazed and Confused'' (1993).<ref name="Thompson"/> According to Linklater, "her mind [is] a constant stream of confident and intelligent ideas",<ref name="Linklater">{{cite news | last = Linklater | first = Richard |author2=Kim Krizan | title = ''Before Sunrise'' | pages = V | publisher = St. Martin's Griffin | date = March 1995 }}</ref> as they talked about the film's concept and characters; only discussing an outline, the screenplay was written in 11 days.<ref name="Linklater"/> Linklater wished to explore the "relationships of life and discover two people [of] complete anonymity and try to find out who they really were".<ref name="Donahue">{{cite news | last = Donahue | first = Christina| title = Love in the Aftermath | work = Film Threat | date = April 1995 }}</ref> As a result, he decided on a foreign setting, deciding a person is "more open to experiences outside your realm".<ref name="Donahue"/>

Casting for the first film took nine months;<ref name="Hicks">{{cite news | last = Hicks | first = Alice M | title = Richard Linklater's All-Nighter | work = MovieMaker | date = April 12, 1995 | url = http://www.moviemaker.com/directing/article/richard_linklaters_allnighter_3122 | access-date = February 26, 2009 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20090122193908/http://www.moviemaker.com/directing/article/richard_linklaters_allnighter_3122 | archive-date = January 22, 2009 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> originally against casting Ethan Hawke, considering him too young for the part,<ref name="Griffin">{{cite news | last = Griffin | first = Dominic| title = Slack Jawing | work = Film Threat | date = April 1995 }}</ref> Linklater hired him after seeing him at a play in New York City. After hiring Julie Delpy, Linklater asked them to read together in Austin, Texas, then deciding they were right for the roles.<ref name="Griffin"/><ref name="Linklater"/> In 2016, Delpy told ''Creative Screenwriting'' she and Hawke performed uncredited rewrites, stating "the original screenplay [lacked] romance. It was a lot of talking [and] Richard hired us to bring the romance to the film". Despite not being credited, Delpy claimed that a credit from a relatively unknown actress may have prevented the film from gaining finance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://creativescreenwriting.com/as-a-woman-you-have-to-assume-it-wont-get-made-but-keep-writing-anyway-julie-delpy-on-lolo/|title="As a woman you have to assume it won't get made, but keep writing anyway." Julie Delpy on Lolo|last=Swinson|first=Brock|date=May 4, 2016|publisher=Creative Screenwriting|access-date=May 10, 2016}}</ref> Delpy and Hawke subsequently received writing credit for the sequels.

Linklater considered a larger budget sequel, to be filmed in four locations. His proposal did not secure funding, so he scaled back the concept of the film,<ref name="Filmmaker">{{cite news |url=http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/spring2004/features/paris_day.php |title=Paris by Day |newspaper=FilmMaker |publisher=Independent Filmmaker Project |issue=Spring 2004 |first=Matthew |last=Ross |access-date=July 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818122156/http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/spring2004/features/paris_day.php |archive-date=August 18, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref> with Hawke, Linklater, and Delpy working independently on their own screenplays over the years. They also adapted elements of the earlier scripts for ''Before Sunrise'' for the sequel.<ref name="Weintraub 2010">{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/ethan-hawke-on-a-3rd-before-sunrise-before-sunset-movie/ |title=Ethan Hawke on a 3rd BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET Movie |publisher=Collider.com |first=Steve "Frosty" |last=Weintraub |date=January 4, 2010 |access-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref>

Linklater described the process of completing the final version of the film as:

{{Quote|We sat in a room and worked together in about a two- or three-day period, worked out a very detailed outline of the whole film in this sort of real-time environment. And then, over the next year or so, we just started e-mailing each other and faxing. I was sort of a conduit – they would send me monologues and dialogues and scenes and ideas, and I was editing, compiling and writing. And that's how we came up with a script.<ref name="Filmmaker" />}}

Hawke said, "It's not like anybody was begging us to make a second film. We obviously did it because we wanted to."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jun/18/2 |title=Forget me not |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Geoffrey |last=Macnab |date=October 8, 2005 |location=London, England |access-date=August 1, 2020 }}</ref>

It filmed entirely on location in Paris. It opens inside the Shakespeare and Company bookstore on the Left Bank. Other locations include their walking through the Marais district of the 4th arrondissement, Le Pure Café in the 11th arrondissement, the Promenade Plantée park in the 12th arrondissement, on board a ''bateau mouche'' from Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Henri IV, the interior of a taxi, and finally "Céline's apartment." Described in the film as located at 10 rue des Petites-Écuries, it was filmed in Cour de l'Étoile d'Or off rue du Faubourg St-Antoine.

Filming took 15 days, on a budget of about US$2 million.<ref name="Filmmaker" /><ref name="Marshall">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3620967/Love-that-goes-with-the-flow.html |title=Love that goes with the flow |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |last=Marshall |first=Lee |date=July 19, 2004 |access-date=August 11, 2007 |location=London, England}}</ref> The film is noted for its use of the Steadicam for tracking shots and its use of long takes; the longest of the Steadicam takes lasts about 11 minutes.<ref name="Marshall"/> As the summer was one of the hottest on record, the cast and crew suffered along with the city residents, as temperatures exceeded 100 degrees F (38 °C) for most of the production.

The film is notable for essentially taking place in real time, i.e. the time elapsed in the story is the run time of the film. In the fast-changing temperate Paris climate, this created challenges for the cinematographer Lee Daniel to match the color and intensity of the skies and ambient light from scene to scene. The scenes were mostly shot in sequence, as they were still developing the screenplay. Producer Anne Walker-McBay worked with less time and less money than she had on ''Before Sunrise'', but still brought the film in on time and on budget. The sequel was released nine years after ''Before Sunrise'', the same amount of time that has lapsed in the plot since the events of the first film.

The film was released in the wake of Hawke's divorce from Uma Thurman. Some commentators drew parallels between Hawke's personal life and the character of Jesse in the film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/08/features.fiction|title=Another sunrise|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Dan|last=Halpern|date=October 8, 2005|access-date=December 28, 2009|location=London, England}}</ref> Additional comment has noted that both Hawke and Delpy incorporated elements of their own lives into the screenplay.<ref name="Marshall" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3620385/Keeping-the-dream-alive.html|title=Keeping the dream alive|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=S.F.|last=Said|date=July 9, 2004|access-date=August 11, 2007|location=London, England}}</ref> Delpy wrote two of the songs featured in the film, and a third by her was included in the closing credits and film soundtrack.

In the subsequent years, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy had all discussed doing a sequel to ''Before Sunset'' (or the third in a trilogy). In November 2011, Hawke said that he, Delpy and Linklater "have been talking a lot in the last six months. All three of us have been having similar feelings, that we're kind of ready to revisit those characters. There's nine years between the first two films and, if we made the film next summer, it would be nine years again, so we started thinking that would be a good thing to do. So we're going to try and write it this year."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18608764.html |title=Ethan Hawke, l'interview blind-test |publisher=AlloCiné |first=Brigitte |last=Baronnet |date=November 18, 2011|access-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/23/hawke-delpy-before-sunrise-sequel |title=Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy wake up to possibility of Before Sunrise sequel |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London, England |first=Catherine |last=Shoard |date=November 23, 2011 |access-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref>

In June 2012, Hawke confirmed that the sequel to ''Before Sunset'' would be filmed that summer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/the-woman-in-the-fifth-star-ethan-hawke-on-blurring-the-lines-between-life-and-fiction?page=2 |title='The Woman in the Fifth' Star Ethan Hawke Gets Personal and Talks 'Before Sunset' Follow-Up |publisher=IndieWire |first=Nigel M. |last=Smith |date=June 13, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref> Soon after, Delpy denied filming would take place that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-julie-delpy-says-despite-recent-talk-the-before-sunset-wont-shoot-this-summer-20120810 |title=Exclusive: Julie Delpy Says Despite Recent Reports, The 'Before Sunset' Sequel Won't Shoot This Summer |publisher=IndieWire |first=Jennifer |last=Vineyard |date=August 10, 2012 |access-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922100920/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-julie-delpy-says-despite-recent-talk-the-before-sunset-wont-shoot-this-summer-20120810 |archive-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> But by August 2012, numerous reports emerged from Messenia, Greece, that the film was being shot there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/rumor-is-the-before-sunrise-before-sunset-followup-currently-shooting-in-greece-20120828 |title=Rumor: Is The 'Before Sunrise'/ 'Before Sunset' Follow-Up Currently Shooting In Greece? |publisher=IndieWire |first=Kevin |last=Jagernauth |date=August 28, 2012 |access-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831234159/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/rumor-is-the-before-sunrise-before-sunset-followup-currently-shooting-in-greece-20120828 |archive-date=August 31, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The completion of filming the sequel, titled ''Before Midnight'', was announced on September 5, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2012/09/toronto-richard-linklater-completes-before-midnight-just-before-festival-begins-329645/ |title=Toronto: Richard Linklater Completes 'Before Midnight' Just Before Fest Begins |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Mike |last=Fleming |date=September 5, 2012 |access-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> Linklater said that, after ten weeks of writing and rehearsing, the film was made in fifteen days for less than $3 million.<ref name="tribune">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/05/24/richard-linklater-finishes-trilogy-with-before-midnight/|title=Richard Linklater finishes trilogy with 'Before Midnight'|last=Borrelli|first=Christopher|date=May 24, 2013|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=August 29, 2013}}</ref> It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in January 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-before-midnight-will-look-at-hawke-and-delpy-all-grown-up-20121003,0,1655180.story|title='Before Midnight' will look at Hawke and Delpy all grown up|last=Zeitchik|first=Steven|date=October 3, 2012|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>

==Additional production and crew details== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:99%;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Film ! colspan="7"|Crew/Detail |- ! style="text-align:center;"| Composer(s) ! style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer ! style="text-align:center;"| Editor ! style="text-align:center;"| Production companies ! style="text-align:center;"| Distributing companies ! style="text-align:center;"| Running time |- ! ''Before Sunrise'' | Fred Frith | rowspan="2"| Lee Daniel | rowspan="3"| Sandra Adair | Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction | Columbia Pictures | 1 hr 41 mins |- ! ''Before Sunset'' | Julie Delpy & Glover Gill | Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction | Warner Independent Pictures | 1 hr 20 mins |- ! ''Before Midnight'' | Graham Reynolds | Christos Voudouris | Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction, Venture Forth Productions, Faliro House Productions | Sony Pictures Classics | 1 hr 49 mins |}

==Reception==

=== Box office === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! Film ! Release date ! Budget ! Box office gross |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Sunrise'' | January 19, 1995 | $2.5 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title=Before Sunrise Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Before-Sunrise#tab=summary |publisher=The Numbers}}</ref> | $22.5 million<ref name=ratio>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Big clicks from little flicks|first=Leonard|last=Klady|date=January 22, 1996|page=1}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Sunset'' | February 10, 2004 | $2 million<ref name="numbers" /> | $15.8 million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beforesunset.htm |title=Before Sunset (2004) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126152733/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beforesunset.htm |archive-date=November 26, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Midnight'' | January 20, 2013 | $3 million<ref name="numbers" /> | $23.2 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Before-Midnight|title=Before Midnight|publisher=The Numbers|access-date=August 19, 2022}}</ref> |}

=== Critical response === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! Film ! Rotten Tomatoes ! Metacritic |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Sunrise'' | 100% (51 reviews)<ref name="tomatoes1">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_sunrise |title=Before Sunrise |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref> | 79 (19 reviews)<ref name="metacritic1">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/before-sunrise|title=Before Sunrise: reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Sunset'' | 94% (181 reviews)<ref name="tomatoes2">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_sunset |title=Before Sunset |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref> | 91 (39 reviews)<ref name="metacritic2">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/before-sunset |title=Before Sunset: Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" | ''Before Midnight'' | 98% (202 reviews)<ref name="tomatoes3">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_midnight_2013 |title=Before Midnight |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref> | 94 (41 reviews)<ref name="metacritic3">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/before-midnight|title=Before Midnight: Reviews |website=Metacritic|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> |}

''Before Sunrise'' received high critical praise at the time of its release. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 100% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thought-provoking and beautifully filmed, ''Before Sunrise'' is an intelligent, unabashedly romantic look at modern love, led by marvelously natural performances from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy."<ref name="tomatoes1" /> On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="metacritic1" />

Film critic Roger Ebert gave ''Before Sunrise'' three out of four stars and described Julie Delpy as "ravishingly beautiful and, more important, warm and matter-of-fact, speaking English so well the screenplay has to explain it (she spent some time in the States)".<ref name="Ebert">{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert | title = ''Before Sunrise'' |work =Chicago Sun-Times | date = January 27, 1995 | url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/before-sunrise-1995 | access-date = February 11, 2022 }}</ref> In her review for ''The New York Times'', Janet Maslin wrote, "''Before Sunrise'' is as uneven as any marathon conversation might be, combining colorful, disarming insights with periodic lulls. The film maker clearly wants things this way, with both these young characters trying on ideas and attitudes as if they were new clothes".<ref name="Maslin">{{cite news | last = Maslin | first = Janet | title = Strangers on a Train and Soul Mates for a Night |work = The New York Times | date = January 27, 1995 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/movies/film-review-strangers-on-a-train-and-soul-mates-for-a-night.html | access-date = February 11, 2022 }}</ref> Hal Hinson, in his review for ''The Washington Post'' wrote, "''Before Sunrise'' is not a big movie, or one with big ideas, but it is a cut above the banal twentysomething love stories you usually see at the movies. This one, at least, treats young people as real people".<ref name="Hinson">{{cite news | last = Hinson | first = Hal | title = ''Before Sunrise'' | work = The Washington Post | date = January 27, 1995 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/beforesunriserhinson_c00687.htm | access-date = February 11, 2009 }}</ref>

''Before Sunset'' received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it hold an approval rating of 94% based on 181 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Filled with engaging dialogue, ''Before Sunset'' is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy."<ref name="tomatoes2" /> On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 39 reviews from mainstream publications, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="metacritic2" /> The film appeared on 28 critics' top 10 lists of the best films of 2004,<ref name="Top10">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2004/toptens.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234801/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2004/toptens.shtml|archive-date=May 27, 2008|title=Metacritic: 2004 Film Critic Top Ten Lists|access-date=February 13, 2011|website=Metacritic}}</ref> and took the 27th spot on Metacritic's list of The Best-Reviewed Movies of the Decade (2000–09).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://features.metacritic.com/features/2009/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|title=The Best Movies of the Decade|website=Metacritic|access-date=April 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503200024/http://features.metacritic.com/features/2009/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|archive-date=May 3, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In comparing this film to the first, American film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "''Before Sunrise'' was a remarkable celebration of the fascination of good dialogue. But ''Before Sunset'' is better, perhaps because the characters are older and wiser, perhaps because they have more to lose (or win), and perhaps because Hawke and Delpy wrote the dialogue themselves."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/before-sunset-2004 |title=Older, wiser duo explore 'Sunset' of their lives |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=July 2, 2004 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-date=27 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127105544/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20040702%2FREVIEWS%2F407020312%2F1023 |url-status=live |access-date=December 2, 2020 }}</ref> In her review for the ''Los Angeles Times'', Manohla Dargis lauded the film as a "deeper, truer work of art than the first," and praised director Linklater for making a film that "keeps faith with American cinema at its finest."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-dargis2jul02-04,2,1313132.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523190447/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-dargis2jul02-04%2C2%2C1313132.story|archive-date=May 23, 2008|title='Before Sunset' – Movie Review|date=July 2, 2004|access-date=February 13, 2011|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|work=Los Angeles Times|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

''Before Midnight'' also received widespread critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 98% based on reviews from 202 critics, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's consensus is: "Building on the first two installments in Richard Linklater's well-crafted ''Before'' trilogy, ''Before Midnight'' offers intelligent, powerfully acted perspectives on love, marriage, and long-term commitment."<ref name="tomatoes3" /> Metacritic gives the film a score of 94 out of 100, based on reviews from 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="metacritic3" /> It was listed as the third-best film of the year after ''12 Years a Slave'' and ''Gravity''.<ref>{{cite web |title=2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists |url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critic-top-10-lists-best-movies-of-2013 |website=Metacritic |access-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-date=11 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211032303/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critic-top-10-lists-best-movies-of-2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to Rotten Tomatoes, it was the second-best reviewed film of 2013 after Alfonso Cuarón's ''Gravity''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 15th Annual Golden Tomato Awards |work=Rotten Tomatoes | publisher= Fandango Media |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/golden-tomato-awards-2013/wide/ |access-date= January 1, 2022 }}</ref>

According to ''Total Film''{{'}}s Philip Kemp, "As with its two predecessors — and with the films of French New Wave director Éric Rohmer, presiding deity of this kind of cinema—''Midnight'''s essentially a film about people talking. But when the talk's this good, this absorbing and revealing and witty and true, who's going to complain?... [It's a] more-than-worthy, expectation-exceeding chapter in one of modern cinema's finest love stories. As honest, convincing, funny, intimate and natural as its predecessors."<ref>{{cite web | title= A great conversation starter...| date= June 17, 2013 |first=Philip | last= Kemp | url= http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/before-midnight |work=Total Film | access-date= June 22, 2013}}</ref>

Perry Seibert of AllMovie also praised the film, writing: "The screenwriting trio fill the movie with long, discursive conversations (there are only two scenes in the first 20 minutes) that feel utterly improvised when they are performed, but are far too deftly structured to be anything other than the work of consummate artists."<ref>Seibert, Perry. [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/before-midnight-v571068/review "Before Midnight (2013)"]. allmovie.com. Retrieved June 28, 2013.</ref> Eric Kohn, from ''Indiewire'', gave the film a rave review, adding it to his list of Top 10 Films of 2013. He wrote that "With ''Before Midnight'', Richard Linklater has completed one of the finest movie trilogies of all time."<ref>{{cite web | title= Critic's Pick The Top 10 Films of 2013 According to Indiewire's Film Critic| date= December 5, 2013 |first=Kohn | last= Eric | url= https://www.indiewire.com/article/critics-picks-the-top-10-movies-of-2013?page=2#articleHeaderPanel |work=Indiewire | access-date= December 25, 2013}}</ref> In 2021, ''The Independent'' ranked the ''Before Trilogy'' third on its list of "10 greatest movie trilogies of all time".<ref>{{cite web |title=10 greatest movie trilogies of all time|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/greatest-movie-trilogies-star-wars-b1847608.html|website=The Independent|date=15 May 2021}}</ref>

=== Accolades === {{Main|List of accolades received by the Before trilogy}} The trilogy received numerous accolades. Linklater won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival for ''Before Sunrise''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1995/03_preistr_ger_1995/03_Preistraeger_1995.html |title=Prizes & Honours 1995 |access-date=March 26, 2026 |publisher=Berlin International Film Festival |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111194017/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1995/03_preistr_ger_1995/03_Preistraeger_1995.html |archive-date=November 11, 2013 }}</ref> In 2025, the film was selected by the National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Welk |first=Brian |date=January 29, 2026 |title=''The Thing'', ''Before Sunrise'', And ''Inception'' Among 25 Films Added to Library of Congress by National Film Registry |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/national-film-registry-2025-thing-before-sunrise-inception-1235176192/ |access-date=March 26, 2026 |website=IndieWire |archive-date=March 9, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260309182456/https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/national-film-registry-2025-thing-before-sunrise-inception-1235176192/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Before Sunset'' and ''Before Midnight'' were both nominated for the Bodil Award for Best English Language Film,<ref>{{cite news |last=Piil |first=Morten |date=January 22, 2005 |url=https://www.information.dk/2005/01/skarp-bodil-konkurrence-forude |title=Skarp Bodil-Konkurrence Forude |trans-title=Fierce Bodil Competition Ahead |language=da |access-date=March 27, 2026 |newspaper=Dagbladet Information |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923194914/https://www.information.dk/2005/01/skarp-bodil-konkurrence-forude |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 3, 2014 |url=https://www.dfi.dk/en/english/hunt-wins-four-bodils |title=''The Hunt'' Wins Four Bodils |access-date=March 27, 2026 |publisher=Danish Film Institute |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003091312/https://www.dfi.dk/en/english/hunt-wins-four-bodils |url-status=live }}</ref> the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mohr |first=Ian |date=December 1, 2004 |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/ifp-kudos-lean-sideways-1117914255/ |title=IFP Kudos Lean ''Sideways'' |access-date=March 27, 2026 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=October 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007223307/https://variety.com/2004/film/news/ifp-kudos-lean-sideways-1117914255/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 2, 2013 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gotham-award-winners-announced-661173/ |title=''Inside Llewyn Davis'' Tops Gotham Awards |access-date=March 27, 2026 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=February 26, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226115040/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gotham-award-winners-announced-661173/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture,<ref name="Online2004">{{cite web |url=https://ofcs.org/awards/2004-awards-8th-annual/ |title=2004 Awards (8th Annual) |access-date=March 27, 2026 |publisher=Online Film Critics Society |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408055707/https://ofcs.org/awards/2004-awards-8th-annual/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Online2013">{{cite web |url=https://ofcs.org/awards/2013-awards-17th-annual/ |title=2013 Awards (17th Annual) |access-date=March 27, 2026 |publisher=Online Film Critics Society |archive-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509165127/http://ofcs.org/awards/2013-awards-17th-annual/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2005 |title=Ganadores De La 53º Entrega De Los Premios Cóndor De Plata |trans-title=Winners of the 53rd Silver Condor Award |language=es-ar |url=http://www.cronistasdecine.org.ar/content/view/18/41/ |access-date=March 27, 2026 |publisher=Argentine Film Critics Association |archive-date=January 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060102222334/http://www.cronistasdecine.org.ar/content/view/18/41/ }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 11, 2014 |title=Este Lunes Se Entregarán Los 62º Premios Cóndor Al Cine Nacional |trans-title=The 62nd Condor Awards for National Cinema Will Be Presented This Monday |language=es-ar |url=https://www.continental.com.ar/este-lunes-se-entregaran-los-62--premios-condor-al-cine-nacional_a60e431e57e8f60e922c21669 |access-date=March 27, 2026 |publisher=Radio Continental |archive-date=April 2, 2026 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20260402185043/https://www.continental.com.ar/este-lunes-se-entregaran-los-62--premios-condor-al-cine-nacional_a60e431e57e8f60e922c21669 |url-status=live }}</ref> Their screenplays received nominations at the Academy Awards,<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 27, 2005 |title=The Complete List: Academy Award Winners |url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/oscars/2005oscars.html |access-date=March 27, 2026 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=March 27, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050327201658/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/oscars/2005oscars.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 2, 2014 |title=2014 Academy Awards Winners: Full List |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/awards/2014-academy-awards-winners-oscar-winner-list-1201123978/ |access-date=March 26, 2026 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=March 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331211127/https://variety.com/2014/film/awards/2014-academy-awards-winners-oscar-winner-list-1201123978/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Film Independent Spirit Awards,<ref>{{cite web |date=December 1, 2004 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/sideways-and-maria-full-of-grace-lead-spirit-award-nominations-78521/ |title=''Sideways'' and ''Maria Full of Grace'' Lead Spirit Award Nominations |access-date=March 27, 2026 |website=IndieWire |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107115959/https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/sideways-and-maria-full-of-grace-lead-spirit-award-nominations-78521/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=March 1, 2014 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/independent-spirit-awards-2013-winners-684633/ |title=Independent Spirit Awards: ''12 Years a Slave'' Named Best Feature |access-date=March 26, 2026 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=February 6, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206095957/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/independent-spirit-awards-2013-winners-684633/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Online Film Critics Society Awards,<ref name="Online2004" /><ref name="Online2013" /> and the Writers Guild of America Awards.<ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Susan |date=January 14, 2005 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jan-14-et-wga14-story.html |title=WGA Nominations Go Independent |access-date=March 27, 2026 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=July 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731131602/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jan-14-et-wga14-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 1, 2014 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/wga-awards-2014-winners-676344/ |title=WGA Awards: The Winners |access-date=March 27, 2026 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605225545/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/wga-awards-2014-winners-676344/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Delpy was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for ''Before Midnight''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=January 12, 2014 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2014-winners-list-2-670159/ |title=Golden Globes: Complete Winners List |access-date=March 27, 2026 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515131452/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2014-winners-list-2-670159/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Explanatory notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Before trilogy Category:American film series Category:Drama film series Category:Film series introduced in 1995 Category:Semi-autobiographical films