In my last feature post, I will discuss the following films: The Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight, directed by Richard Linklater. All four films have common themes of growing up & aging, time, and a bit of stress. Time, Growing up, & Aging these films involve the passage of time, whether it be how time passes, or how quickly the clock is ticking before time is up. The Virgin Suicides begins with Cecelia's suicide attempt by cutting her wrists, and shortly after, her death by jumping out of her window and being impaled on the iron fence below. Cecelia's death starts the countdown before her four sisters also kill themselves. Their youngest sister's death leaves them with a faint stain of depression, and their parents choice to have them on lock down after Lux's late return from homecoming only heightens their feelings of depression, claustrophobia, and loss of identity. After Cecelia's death, the clock begins to tick for her sisters, but after Homecoming and the removal of the Elm tree from their front yard, that clock is ticking faster and faster, and stops when the girls are found dead in their home. There's even an actual scene in the film where a time lapse of the front of the Lisbon home in the fall that is a visual representation of time passing, and the sand falling to the bottom of the hourglass. Below is a video clip of the elm tree being cut down and removed from the LIsbon's front lawn, and the time lapse that follows. It is obvious that time is an important element in Richard Linklater's Before trilogy. In an article for consequenceofsound.net titled "Sunrise, Sunset, or Midnight: Debating the best film in Richard Linklater's before trilogy" author Dominick Suzanne-Mayer expresses, "the Before films ask you to grow with two people, who outside of their intelligence and our time with them aren’t remarkable in any sort of spectacular way." I think Dominick is right in saying that we grow with these people, and we stick around because we want to see what happens because time is passing in real time. these films truly take place with nine years in between them, and we see our main characters Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) age in real life, without makeup or special effects. We also see the effect of time in a relationship. When we first meet Celine and Jesse in before Sunrise, they are in their early twenties, and they are seemingly still in the process of growing up and finding themselves. They are very curious about what life has to offer them, and what a potential partner has to offer as well. They are intrigued by each other, so much that they agree to meet again in six months, which turns into almost 10 years, and our second film Before Sunset. In Before Sunrise, the clock is ticking as Jesse has a plane to catch back to the United States in the morning, so their is almost a sense of urgency for the two to get to know each other in a short amount of time. In before sunset, time has passed, Celine and Jesse have done some growing up, and have more serious jobs and obligations. We could see they were more mature and more rational than in the first film. The ticking clock changes, and yet again, the time span is dependent on Jesse catching a flight. On the other hand, in Before Midnight, we see the most change and growing up, and the ticking clock disappears. Celine and Jesse are now in their forties, have two daughters (who are probably six years old), are set in their careers, Celine is even considering a new job, they both visibly show signs of aging, and they are no longer rushed or in a hurry. They know each other, they've started a family and are on vacation, so there's no urgency in this film. The clock has stopped, and Celine and Jesse, Viewers as well, have a chance to sit back and relax and see what unfolds. Stress The characters of these films are under some kind of distress, whether it be affecting them in a negative way, or it's stress that will soon disappear, and is meaningless. In Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, the type of stress that effects Celine and Jesse is different than their stressors in Before Midnight. In the first two films, their concerns are about what will happen to them in life- Their past, their careers, their family, and their relationship status. These are things that you can't really determine or know in an instant, or even a short amount of time. I think it's typical of young adults to question their future, and even when they were in their thirties. I think this stress is from Sunrise and Sunset is different from in Midnight, because the questions Celine and Jesse asked got answered in the last film. They have each other, their kids, jobs, and a home. They appear to have it all figured out and settled. The problem in Before Midnight is that the two question their feelings for each other, and can't stand each other at times. Had someone told me Celine and Jesse would treat and talk to each other the way they do in Midnight before I saw it for myself, I wouldn't believe you. They seemed so involved and infatuated with each other, so the idea that they argued and were vicious to each other was a tough pill to swallow. As for the lisbon girls, the stress that plagues them is much different from Celine and Jesse. Their masked uneasiness and instability is what drives them to take their lives. These girls are primarily concerned about their virginity and boys, typical of teenage girls, but I think what initiates their anxieties is Cecelia's death. Even if Therese, Mary, Bonnie, and Lux were a bit older, the death of their youngest sister would be incredibly stressful and sad, and would impact their lives as adults with other forms of stress, and ways to handle it. To top it off, the girls are kept hostage in their own home, and they and the audience get claustrophobic. the girls are taken out of school, a place for them to socialize to know other people and get to know themselves as individuals. They are forced to stay inside, and this surely adds to their depression and lack of sense of self. Although all five girls kill themselves in different ways, Cecelia jumped, Therese overdosed, Bonnie Hanged, Mary asphyxiates from oven gas fumes, and Lux is poisoned by carbon monoxide while in the car in the garage. I think Lux's death is the most significant, because it symbolizes the girl's desire to leave their home/prison, and leave their strict, parent-ruled life behind. Final thoughts To my own disbelief, I liked this group of films. I've seen the Virgin Suicides before, and wasn't really a fan the first time around. After watching again, and viewing it more analytically, I enjoyed it. As for the before trilogy, all it took was for me to watch all three, and before midnight forced me to like it's predecessors. I did not like these films at first, I thought Before Sunrise and Before Sunset were stupid. I think watching Before Midnight and seeing this whole story come full circle made me appreciate Linklater's work and the story that is Celine and Jesse, their travels, and their troubles.
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