💬 Weekly Question: Should Richard Linklater make another 'Before' film?

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I am a child of the ’80s, which means my answer to the question, “What’s your favorite trilogy of all time, Cole?,” should probably be Star Wars: The Original Trilogy. The reality is, I prefer The Lord of the Rings trilogy to it anyway. But both of these pale compared to my affection for and spiritual relationship to Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy.

Before Sunrise was released in 1995, and gave us one magical night in the young lives of strangers Jesse and Céline played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Most rightfully assumed this was a one-and-done indie film, but Linklater returned nine years later with Before Sunset (2004) to show us the older, more mature, broken people Hawke and Delpy’s characters had become. After that, fans secretly hoped this would be an ongoing thing, something that might even continue into the Jesse and Céline’s old age. Well, these hopes were answered when, nine years later, Before Midnight (2013) hit screens. Except this time, the film’s story was…ugly. It was really fucking ugly. Marriage, as it turns out, is hard even for people seemingly fated to be together. When Before Midnight ends, we’re not even left confident Jesse and Céline will still be together in another decade. Which brings me to 5AM StoryTalk’s art question for this week:

Should Richard Linklater make another Before film and, if so, where do you think Jesse and Céline are in their relationship today?

Because while we’re a couple years seemingly overdue for another installment, that doesn’t mean much. Linklater, Hakwe, and Delpy have always been emphatic they would only return to the Before series if there was a story they all felt compelled to tell. In theory, a new film could be announced any day now…or never. We won’t know, until we do.