Valentines Special: The Before Trilogy
Here at CULTPLEX we are here to give everyone what they want on Valentine's Day - A screening of our favourite romance trilogy - Linklater's the before films!
This isn't just a series of films; it is the holy scripture of modern(ish) romance, tracking the evolution of a relationship in real-time intervals of nine years. From the naive optimism of youth to the complex, battle-hardened reality of long-term commitment, join us for the definitive cinematic study of love, time, and conversation.
Whether you are single, taken, or somewhere messily in between, this is the only way to spend the most romantic (and stressful) day of the year!
Before Sunrise (1995)
The journey begins on a train winding through Europe, where American tourist Jesse meets French student Céline. What starts as a chance encounter morphs into a spontaneous disembarkation in Vienna, sparking a night of wandering, philosophy, and intense connection. It captures the raw, unpolished energy of a first meeting—that fleeting window where anything feels possible and the only enemy is the rising sun. It is charming, talky, and effortlessly captures the terrifying excitement of falling for a stranger.
Before Sunset (2004)
Nine years later, the setting shifts to Paris. Jesse is now an author on a book tour; Céline is an activist. They have even less time now—just a scant few hours before a flight back to the States. The rambling philosophical debates of their twenties have been replaced by the sharper, more urgent realities of adulthood, missed opportunities, and regret. It is a masterclass in tension, culminating in one of the greatest, most agonizingly perfect cliffhangers in cinema history.
Before Midnight (2013)
Another nine years pass, finding our couple in Greece, no longer starry-eyed strangers but a weary, trenched-in partnership navigating the messy logistics of marriage, parenthood, and middle age. This is the trilogy at its most combative and honest, stripping away the fantasy to look at what happens after the credits usually roll. It is a brutal, beautiful, and essential closing chapter that asks the hardest question of all: not how you find love, but how you sustain it.
