Baby, you are gonna miss that plane

It's been a while...but alas, here I am!

If you haven't seen the next two movies I am going to tell you about, you need to see ASAP (but watch them first before reading the rest of this post because there are in fact some spoilers that will ruin the whole point of watching the movies). The titles of these beyond fantastic movies are "Before Sunrise" and the sequel, "Before Sunset". My older sister raved about how great they were and explained how they were two of her favorite movies to me and my best friend. We were still in high school at the time and decided to rent them and see what all the fuss was about. In the first film, a young American guy, Jesse is traveling through Europe and meets a young French girl, Celine. They start talking on a train to Vienna and end up getting off at the same stop to spend the rest of the night together until Jesse leaves on a plane for the States the next morning. Throughout the night, they confide in each other their most deep thoughts about themselves, family, relationships and the world around them. They come to really appreciate one another's company and seemingly fall in love. But they both know the night is going to end, morning is going to come and they will be strangers once again. At the very last second, right when Celine is about to get back on a train to Paris, they decide to meet on the same platform 6 months from that date. The movie comes to a close with Jesse riding a bus to the airport and Celine on the train back to Paris.

In the sequel, Jesse is now a published author, traveling across the world on a book tour for his latest novel about a man and woman who meet for one night. His last stop is in a small Parisian bookstore, where he happens to run into Celine. They spend the afternoon recapping what has been going on in their lives so far but not before learning that Celine could not show up to the platform the day they were meant to meet and Jesse came and was disappointed. Both realize that the other is in a relationship that is more of a struggle than something they want to be in. Jesse is married to a woman he does not truly love and is only staying together for their son, Henry. Celine has been in and out of relationships and cannot seem to find it. At the end of this day, Jesse was meant to catch a flight back home to his family in New York City. Instead, the last scene of the movie shows him sitting on Celine's couch, watching and laughing as Celine dances and sings in front of him...both knowing that Jesse is going to miss his flight.

I feel like after seeing the differences in how I felt when I saw them that first time and how I feel about them now, it shows just how warped my state of mind was back then.  The movies seemed almost stupid and pointless...disappointing in some ways, boring in others. But now, as I have just completed watching the second movie in the series, I can't get enough of the story! I wrote to my best friend that I wish there was somehow a third movie. And then I realized that I don't really want a third movie. I just want to know that Jesse and Celine to end up living happily ever after even though during the conversations in the actual movie, it's discussed how everything does not need an ending. One person might be a romantic and see the two people together forever, while one might be a total cynic and envision them growing to hate each other, while still another might have hope for the happy ending but just isn't sure enough that it's possible. This thought really stuck with me for some reason. In my short life of twenty years, since I can remember, we're always striving to make everything as perfect as possible. Even though it is clearly not in our power and there might be some sort of "magic" out there (as Celine hints at), we try and try to improve who we are, what we have, where we're going in life. Instead, I think we just need to let it be. To some people, it might seem cheesy and unrealistic. But not to me. It gets to a certain point where you just look back, and everything you've done seems like a waste of time. Certain things that you were so stressed about seems kind of silly now; people you used to really care about are nobody to you now. It's not depressing, it's just the truth. People always talk about the natives of Europe and how a lot of them have a way of living that is so much more relaxed than us in America. It's true, too. They know how to enjoy now.

It seems to me like if you really want to be able to do this, you have to be over 60 or from Europe! A part of me hates watching movies like this that take place in foreign countries because it always makes me want to go there and learn their way of life and throw mine in the trash (if at all possible). It's so annoying to see such beautiful buildings and fountains and for Christ's sake, even the sidewalks in these movies and get snapped back into real life by the noise of a plane or ambulance rushing around outside. It just all seems so stupid and cheesy! I use that word, cheesy, a lot but that's how I feel about a lot of things. It's just how I am...I'm not really judging anybody who likes that lifestyle or likes walking outside and being surrounded by a bunch of hideous skyscrapers. Some might even find that intriguing and beautiful but not me. I'd much rather be standing next to some 17th century cathedral or something of the like. Anyways, I'm off on another tangent. My main point was to just express the opinion that we don't always need that perfect ending - whether it be getting the best grades, having the prettiest hair, buying the most perfect house or finding Prince Charming and living happily ever after...it just doesn't have to happen. Let it happen and it will.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite scenes from the first movie, when some kind of "bum" writes a beautiful poem for Jesse and Celine...

Daydream delusion
Limousine Eyelash
Oh, baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wineglass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweet cakes and milkshakes
I am a delusion angel
I am a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don’t want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we’re going
Launched in life
Like branches in the river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current
I’ll carry you. You’ll carry me
That’s how it could be
Don’t you know me?
Don’t you know me by now?

Thanks for reading :)

Love,

Rachel