The Before Trilogy and the Art of Collaboration
In his ambitious, decades-spanning The Before Trilogy, Richard Linklater captures the complexities of love and time through the story of Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), who fall for each other as twentysomethings on a train bound for Vienna. As their epic romance unfolds, the films stand witness not only to the shifting dynamics of the couple’s relationship, from the initial spark of desire to the challenges of long-term intimacy they experience in their forties, but to the evolving collaboration between Linklater and his actors, who age along with their characters. The supplemental features on our newly released edition of the trilogy offer an inside look at the chemistry among these three creative partners. In the below clip, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy join New York Film Festival director Kent Jones for a conversation about how their writing process changed and deepened over time.
And in this excerpt from Athina Rachel Tsangari’s behind-the-scenes documentary After Before, catch a glimpse of Hawke, Delpy, and Linklater rehearsing a few confrontational moments from the trilogy’s final installment, Before Midnight.
