Before, After, Forever
“If there’s any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it’s almost impossible to succeed, but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt.” — Celine, Before Sunrise
Like all humans, I fear growing old.
I’m coming up on another birthday, and it’s got me thinking a lot about growing old. We all deal with mortality in one way or another, but for me, my thoughts mainly circle around:
Did I do enough?
Did I waste my youth?
Will I be an old person full of regret?
And so, to help deal with those thoughts, I’d like to talk about a filmmaker I highly respect, and how his movies have helped me to understand growing old a bit better.
Today I’d like to talk about Richard Linklater, specifically his best work, the Before Trilogy.
In any movie, you are bound to find similar story beats: We are introduced to the protagonist, who then goes on a journey to defeat an antagonist or to overcome a huge obstacle, and by the end of the journey, they will have gone through some fundamental change to their character which ends the movie on a high note.
Of course, not every movie follows this storyline exactly, but in one way or another, they will have one or two of the core tenets of storytelling: The hero, the villain, the struggle/obstacle, the change.
In Linklater’s movies, specifically the Before Trilogy, the heroes are clear — Jesse and Celine, two young adults who meet for the first time by chance on a train to Vienna.
The journey is clear — Jesse invites Celine to accompany him in Vienna for one night, walking around the city together talking about everything and nothing.
But two things are not so clear — the villain(s) and the change. There aren’t any particularly nefarious individuals trying to keep Jesse and Celine apart. No jealous partners or creepy stalkers to stop them from enjoying the night together. There also isn’t a lot of change — at the end of the film, there isn’t a large change to either’s character.
So why does everyone love the Before trilogy?
Well, to put it simply, because it has the most realistic and relatable antagonist: time.
Naturally, all movies must deal with time. When you fit a story into the span of 1 to 2 hours, time is a key factor any filmmaker must keep in mind. How do you justify time leaps? How do you show the passing of time? How does one tell a story of years in a matter of hours?
These questions must be answered when writing the script and making the movie, but time is just something to be considered — not a main component of the story. It’s an obstacle to be overcome, not a key character within the plot.
Some filmmakers besides Linklater also dabble with time as a main component of their films, the best example being Chris Nolan. But Nolan does not allow time to be realistic, rather choosing to bend time and space to fit the rules of his story’s world.
Linklater’s approach to time is gentle. For the director, time is not something to be bent to his will, but rather a simple rule of the world that all must bend to, including his characters.
And so, the Before trilogy does not attempt to fight against time. Jesse and Celine are aware of the temporary situation they are in — but they do not rage against it. Rather, they choose to live in the moment, the present, and make the most out of whatever time they have together.
Time is the true enemy of the Before trilogy, both the self-contained foe of each film and the recurring obstacle throughout the three films. Every movie is limited by some abstract deadline — a train about to depart, a plane about to leave, a hotel room about to be checked out. The long gaps between each film takes its toll on the characters too, years passing between each meeting, age showing on the faces of the pair.
But Jesse and Celine revel in the time they have together, making the most of the brief periods they have. They spend hours walking on cobblestone streets, passing the time by listening to each other talk, making fun experiences out of boring settings. No rush, no hurry, no pressure to talk about everything they can. They talk about what they can, whatever comes to mind.
Jesse and Celine do not ask for more time. And that’s a good thing. Maybe if they had more time, the movies wouldn’t be as interesting. Because they know that they don’t have forever, they speak from the heart and talk about things that they might never have talked about with others.
Yes, it’s true that there isn’t a lot of change throughout the whole film. But there are small imperceptible changes in each character, as they have honest conversations learning more about each other, and ultimately, learning more about themselves.
The Before trilogy is nothing more than just two people, talking about their lives — yet that is what makes it so beautiful.
So the Before trilogy helped me cope with my existential crisis in more ways than one. It made me realize that life is all about what you do right now, not thinking about what you could’ve done or what you should do. Age is a common enemy for everyone, but just because you grow old doesn’t mean you lose the youth inside of you. In the words of Ethan Hawke himself:
I don’t know if other people feel this way, but the biggest shocking element of growing older to me is how much I feel like the same person.
Time is limited for all of us. Forever is nothing but a concept we say but will never experience. The places we go to, the people we meet, the events we experience, everything only has a temporary place in our lives.
We aren’t Christopher Nolan. We can’t make time follow our wants. We can’t always make people stay when it’s time to say goodbye. Life is not like Nolan’s movies.
So instead, make your life like a Linklater movie. Know that everything comes to an end, that your time with someone or in someplace is limited, and make the best of it. You’re often only given one shot at living through something — so live through it.
Don’t worry about living life wrong or right. Don’t worry that you didn’t say enough or that you said too much. Don’t think about what past mistakes you’ve made, or what mistakes you’ll make in the future.
Maybe you meet a girl and have the time of your life for one night, and promise to meet back at the same place in one year. Maybe she’ll come, or maybe she won’t. Maybe you’ll only meet her nine years from now at a bookstore in Paris. Maybe you’ll never meet her again. But that’s in the future.
You’re in the present. And that’s all that matters. That’s all that you can change. Treasure whatever happened in the past, be excited for what can happen in the future.
And live the life you’re given today.
No before, no after, no forever.
Just now.
