Merrick Watts and Before Sunset

Gid A, Peter Helly here, welcome to you Ain't seen nothing yet The movie Podcast, where I chat to a movie lover about a classical beloved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now. And today's guests comedian broadcaster wine lover, my great mate Merrick Watts all below.

I want to stay here with you, the jobble, Why.

Hate snake shocked HiRail, It couldn't happening right now?

Don't see nothing here.

Mark is a returning guest, So when I have a returning guess, I'm like gonn to bang on about him again. You go back and listen to the first one if you haven't already. But Mez is one of my well is my oldest friend in comedy. He's a man who many of you would know if you're of a certain age. Had a great relationship partnership with Tim Ross. He's a great mate American rousso both live and on Triple Jay. And then they basically they gave birth to a radio station.

Hi.

My name is Merek and my three favorite films are Star.

Wars, Star two, you know, and of your Seats a bit beat up if you want a new one.

Not on your life. That little droid and I've been through a lot together. You're okayr two.

Good all rights again, take our procedure.

Hang on, t tartoo.

You've got to come back.

You wouldn't want my life to get boring.

Would you.

The Grand Hotel Buddapest.

The police are here. They asked for you.

Tell them, I'm you right now?

Okay?

Have you ever been questioned by the authorities?

Yes, some one occasion.

I was arrested in torture by the rebel militia after the Desert uprising. Right, well, you know the drill then, of course you've never heard the word vandhart in your life.

Got it?

Okay, let's go.

Maybe serve you a gentleman.

Ah by order of the Commissioner of Police that broke the province, I here by place you under arrest for the murder of Madame Selene Villanov the Gofflin Taxis.

I knew there was something fishy. We never got the cause of death. She's been murdered, and you think I did it? And fury would meet their open and handed and cawsky low Nagene.

Get ready to put in that bank. These people want to test us.

It's my pleasure.

On the op check the door, check the door.

It's a bunch of kids him.

Come on here, they come, keep an eye out.

Right over there.

Fuck so so crowd, what you got?

No?

I did died, he Kinder got hanged.

Yeah, hey shoot that guy.

This guy, yeah him, the s S cocksucker with the busted wing.

Hi angel, this one's yours.

I'm made exact an asshole mother fucker. But up until tonight, I hadn't seen before sunset?

Did you show up in Vienna that December? U?

Did you?

No?

I couldn't. But did you? I need to know. It's important to me.

Why if you didn't, Well, did you?

Oh?

Oh my god, you didn't.

I got I mean, thank god I didn't and you didn't. I mean one of us had showed up there alone.

I know, I know, I know. I was so concerned with that. I always felt horrible about not being there, but I couldn't. You know, my grandma died a few days before. She was buried that day, December sixteenth. Should that day?

Yes?

You remember that? Yeah?

I remember everything.

Of course it was in your book. But anyway, I was about I was about to fly to dinner, you know, and I and we heard the news about her, and of course I had to go to the funeral. With my kid.

I'm sorry to hear that.

You weren't there anyway?

Wait, why weren't you there?

I would have been there if I could have. I made plans, and you better have a good reason.

What.

Oh no, no, you where there?

Weren't you? Oh no, that's terrible, Believe it or not.

It's been nine years since Ethan Hawks Jesse charmed Julie Delby Slaine off that train in Vienna in Richard Linklater's charming cinema Veritae come Wrong, calm dramedy before Sunrise, And there was just one thing we wanted to know. Did Jesse and Selene meet up on that platform in Vienna all those years ago? We will discuss that answer soon enough.

Do you do?

And it was beautiful. It was I never read a book about.

That.

Book sold no.

Copies, thankfully. We couldn't find a publisher, but there is a manuscript.

I couldn't even find a reader. I couldn't find anybody to prove it.

You gave it to me to have a look over, and I was I didn't have.

Time, and you said I can't.

I wanted to live in my memory more than actually have all the details because I may have exaggerated some things.

Yeah, that's what happened, and you know through the lens of time.

Pete.

It's great to be back talking about before Sunset because it's interesting seeing sequels because I think you know more and more was seeing sequels on in films because Hollywood studios know they've got a proof of concept already in advance, so you know, you see lots of sequels, but in this time, it was not like a heavy kind of sequel period for films.

I don't reckon no, And this took a long time, like to I'm not sure if they have the idea that it would be like a nine year thing, if it's supposed to be that long. But they could not get this film funded. In fact, there was a bigger version of a big like they wanted the bigger budget. But I do remember that Before Sunrise with that necessarily having it in front of me.

Wasn't necessarily a big hit.

And I think it kind of gained followers on DVD and as it went long, and then when this came out, more people jumped on board.

People are still jumping on board.

There's two people right here who have only recently joined the before trilogy express. But yeah, it was I kind of also liked that there was a little bit of time that we had between watching the first one. I think if you watched the first one and then like if you piggybacked it, it wouldn't we had enough time probably you know, only probably a few months since We've recorded the last one, and I think I'll do a

You are you are.

I think I mentioned that one before you did the last one, but the end of it I did.

From a script of another great trilogy. It's a track.

Well, let's talk about your three next favorite films. So I just remind our audience your previous first favorite three films, where the Life of Quit by Wessander's in great choice, Platoon.

There's no more Merrick wats film than Platoon.

That I would have you not had a Platoon comedy, I would have corrected you, Gomez, you forgot Platoon. And the surprise packet was Groomsby and a very funny film and great choices. Your next favorite films, of course, let's start with Star Wars. Guests in kind of early Yeasy Days Adam Christy, a Canadian comedian who I met in Montreal.

He came on and said, he goes, why does everybody this?

Everyone just admit that Star Wars is our favorite film and move on like anyone not having in their top three. Embarrassingly, you know, he's saying that I was agreeing with him. It's not in my top three, but it could easily be my top three. And then this is where top threes can be frightening, because Star Wars should be.

It changed cinema. It meaning to fanboys, you.

Know, but it's also too I think it's you know, how do you choose your favorite? That one of the definitions because if you are the parameters of it is right now, if there was three different films in front of me, one of the Star Wars, I might choose one of the other ones. But the fact is I've watched Star Wars more than I've watched any other film in my life. By the time I was a young man, I had seen Star Wars well over fifty times. I knew it word for word, and I think it's left

But I'm the same that sharing Star Wars with my kids, and for them to be still interested, they've probably dropped off watching the TV series a little bit.

My oldest.

Funny, my oldest is the more likely one to watch it, but they will certainly head to the cinema to see the next installment, which hopefully is not that far away.

Yeah. Absolutely, And it was just so monumental. I know it seems like a bit of a good way to describe it, but it was transportive in the way you say, Pete was also to a place that no one had been like in that time. It was not. It was only made about ten years after the moon landing, and you're said of going like wow, like you know it was they were talking about hyper speed and hyper drives and all the stuff. You know, it was like Asimov.

The Grand Budapest Hotel. This is one of Where's Anderson's finest films. You had Life Aquatics, so you're obviously big Where's Aason fan. But I remember seeing this and really liking it. But this gets better for me with every I've probably seen it five or six times now and it's still has gotten better with every view.

Yeah. Absolutely, and like, it's a fairly dynamic film. You've got some great dynamic scenes in it. The one where Willing Dafoe is skiing, you know it's a skiing race, is brilliant. But it comes down to the class of the actors and the script writing and the themselves. Like William Dafoe's character, he's one of my favorite actors, but he's just like so on point with this, but everyone's portrayal of their character is pinpoint.

They're all good in it, and Ray finds is he's phenomenally It is extraordinary.

And that's why I liked it. I think it's just it just shows you how an accumulative force of massive talent that everyone's on the same page at the same time. This what is actually rather a pretty simple story.

Yeah yeah, And where's Adison films? I think he's spoken about it. They're not the easiest films to act in. There's a certain rhythm that he has and that's why he often goes back to the same kind of He's almost got a company now of actors who he keeps going back to. Jason Schwartz and Bill Murray, will and Dafoe. They just hit it perfectly. It's obviously it's extremely stylistic. He's got his stamp that he has the same way

I felt sleep. I thought was so boring. I literally fell asleep. I watched it on the weekend. I started watching it. We were not very far into it. I fell asleep. I found it painfully boring at the start.

Yeah, I I didn't I the French, so you're wrong, you were Obviously.

Your opinion is incorrect.

Yeah, I mean, at least start the film before your second bottle of wine.

Is it's true too? Though it is true I had some roses, but I was on a very comfortable chair, so.

I thought the French dispatch was one where I kind of stroked a lot of bit. It just came out a bit like okay, And again, I'll probably go back and watch it because I feel like I do go the Wes Anderson films with a heightened sense of expectation. I was actually I saw it with Tom Budge was a great actor.

I was the Tom.

I just sitting next to me, and we're big, both big. Wes Anderson filmed fans, and I did say this as the lights went down. I said, there's a panning shot, does somebody like you're looking out a window, you know, talking down to somebody on the ground level. He has all the tropes. Yeah, but it's part of me is like it keep going as long as the story is good. There is a part of me that would love for him to go back to like a rush More kind of more contained, two or three or four hander film

I just think that of his fans. I mean, obviously I've mentioned two of his fans. Two of his films has been, you know, my favorite films of all time. But I'm not a sicker fan for his films. I don't. I don't expect to like all of his films because I think there's been a couple of The French Dispatches, one of them where I've just gone, I didn't enjoy

Yeah, absolutely, yeah, absolutely, And I think I may have said this Life Equatic is my favorite of the West Anderson films. I think that is a much underrated film. To be honest, this is one again. They wouldn't be a Merriic Top three without a war film in there, and Fury is an absolute belter.

Fury is brilliant. I mean, there's lots of great war films that have been made recently, but I think the thing is I've watched Fury the most because Fury is incredibly layered in the sense that you've got a very compact space and you're at war. There's a lot going on. This tank's being blown up and people are dying in horrific ways. It's the understanding of you get to know

And you feel in it. It's not just following some war films. You know they'll be expansive and you know they're covering all different sides, and this is just really this with these group of men, and that's what really

It's extraordinary. I think it's a great choice.

Just really quickly. That part I reckon is you hit on it is that And this is what war does. Is it galvanizes men and women, but men in particularly you know, in battle. It galvanizes people who would never normally have such loyalty and brothers and brothership or you know, like a sense of camaraderie, so you know their personalities. Then they don't have the same backgrounds, they're completely different.

Yeah, and you said the Netflix from the front Lines where they've colorized, and that's an extraordinary as well. We don't necessarily go into from the front Lines. I think it's released in the December on the Netflix. Well worth a look if you'd like to look back to the World War two. Let's talk about the film you astar the talk about today. I was very much looking forward to watching this again. I think we both really enjoyed

Did you enjoy Before Sunset?

Yeah?

I did like it. Yeah, it was different in some ways to what I expected, and it was it's a different film, but also to it does feel very much like even those nine years apart, it does feel very much like a sequel. And a big credit to Ethan Hawke for having nine years from the making of that film to the sequel, the first to the sequel, nine years he had in Hollywood, and at no stage did it occur to him to get his teeth corrected. He's

Until Ricky Dubais came along. It's nine years later, so they haven't met up.

Were you.

I think it takes about nine and a half minutes for them to get to the point where they asked the question did you turn up? Which is, first of all, would you have turned up if you were in this situation? Because what's interesting when we spoke about before Sunrise, because I was kind of thinking, Okay, we've kind of done

Yeah, I think I probably would have. If I had a connection with another human being on any level, I reckon I would travel, you know, like I've tracked down some cab drivers that I just thought were terrific bikes and I've caught up with them six months later. I said, you remember you dropped off at the MCG. Yeah.

To be honest, if I had sex with the park in the park with a woman who I also felt connection with, probably have stayed of the platform for six months.

Just become a vagrant for six months, and then when they are you've got a beard and you look different. I'm staying part of me is a romantic enough that I would have gone back to do it. But I think that you're right, Like, it's it's interesting that I think it's just you're waiting for it, Like when are they going to ask whether or not they went and met at the platform, or if they did or not, because you know instantly that they didn't you know, like

They didn't.

But then there's that great question in your mind is did one of them turn up? We had a little earlier, but Jesse denies it at first, and then it comes out that you know, he did. And there's so many different ways they could have played that. So when Selene asked, Jesse,

Did he turn up? Or did she turn up?

And there's there's a way of doing it where Jesse was convincing enough that he convinced Selene that he didn't turn up and then reveal that later. I didn't like the strong choice of actually going, yeah, we're going to deal with this now.

Yeah.

I like that too, and also like the way that it did it where you know, he didn't just give the answer, he actually he told a fib and then he and then it was kind of revealed in a really nice way that he had actually gone there, but there was no kind of bitterness from him or like that's what was great about it was like, well, I went there and you didn't go there, and you know it was it was just like, you know that was the thing. Yeah, I did it and you weren't there,

It's a European tour and this is the last stop on the tour. I'm not sure, to be honest, if my agent or publisher is flying me one side of the world to another the Q and A in Paris in front of six people, I would expect a bigger crowd.

Yeah, I'd expect a bigger crowd, and also wouldn't expect to jet out that day. I'd be like, I reckon, I might stay in Paris and get hammered and fall asleep watching a film. But what I did notice, And this is very clever. Is in an opening scene where he's in the bookshop and he's talking about his book and you know, essentially, you know, divulging the character Selene but not saying Selene obviously, but you know he's having a conversation about it, and he's gesticulating and moving and

Yeah, pretty good. It's very good. And also I think there's some beautiful stuff going on in the I guess the subtext of what's going on because he's asking there's a conversation about a you a romantic or are you a cynic? And that kind of potentially could be seen as Jesse Pally in the first film was maybe the

Of movies as well.

I think there's a subjects we are actually talking about the way we view film as you know you can the way you would have felt. I think it's really clever that he's actually put that to the audience as well. What did you think at the end of Before Sunrise? Did you think they turned out? Did you think they continue their relationship or did you think that was it?

I think that was actually that was smart.

Pete smart because I played a pretty smart card earlier. I was it was. My first point was like, I'll bring that up Pete.

I miss that.

If Bete hasn't clocked out, Oh look great, then Pete's going, oh soorr are we're playing a game of you know here, I'm just going to draw forward, dickhead. It's a really good point, though, like, that's that's a great thing that Yeah, I didn't really consider he's asking the audience to kind of give the answer to that.

I think I was using the flash.

It really does really economically put us back to where this and if you hadn't seen the film before Sunrise Yep.

You could get on You can get on board pretty quickly. But then he didn't overuse the flash based sequences. They were gone quite quickly. They were there to establish the time and the place of it, but they were gone quite quickly. In the sequel, he didn't rely on them.

And I think they were really good, even if outside of the device of bringing us up the speed and this as a quick refresher course. I think it was nice to see those because I think they are also probably in their own heads as well, Like when Jesse's talking about this book, he probably has those memories in his head, and Selene's come to the bookstore for the

Yeah.

I don't think the film is affected by it, and I didn't think about it as I watched a film, But as you say that, I thought, yeah, if this was real life, it takes away to tick and clock. That's why it's in the movie. Yeah, and that's why movies make these choices. Obviously, did you think about like when she said did you turn up? Did you have

I expected the reverse, which is possibly why I played it. I given that she lived in Europe.

Yeah, like it's just.

Around the corner Mae show up. Plus also too, Grandma's dead, Like how cliss look? I mean you know like yeah, I mean you know you could push that it's a funeral, you can push it back one day, I guess the old is more time to go and you know, get some sandwiches. Came something I don't know I expected if there was going into it. I thought if there was one person that showed up, was going to be her,

Yeah, yes, that's right, that's right.

I think for six people. I mean, I imagine we got done smaller book signings. By the way, I did Hello Dimmix, I did'sulnerable.

I think I may have mentioned this on this podcast. I did a DVD signing once. It may have been at DIMIs. It was like a new DIMIs in Melbourne and it was for season two of It's a Date series eight created on the ABC, and we'll pair it up when we would go to are at eight thirty and then Upper Middle Bog and we go to at nine o'clock. We did a signing and I was representing It's a Date and Patty Bermwer and Annie Maynard we're representing Appy Middle Boga and both are fantastic in that series.

Of books, you want to just leave and just go Well, we kind.

Of hinting towards that and they said, oh, we did say you're going to be here for two hours. And then and then one of my old teachers walked in and he said as I was looking at I said, he goes.

What are you doing here?

And I said, oh, I'm this actually this actually yeah, I was so I was like torn. I was like, I say, I'm buying a book because I was actually just perusing and browsing. So and then I said, actually, we're doing a signing over there.

I'm going to think fast, but you say, just finished the signing.

Yeah, and then if.

Anybody else comes along and go, oh god, I thought were done with this, Okay, just three more to add it to the town.

Where were you in twenty twelve? Dimicks.

One of the things I was I think they did a good job of is kind of addressing the mistake they made by not exchanging numbers. I think they if I were just doing, they're doing as a romantic kind of thing or I forget the reason. I mean thousand and one to them.

And I thought that it was a bit kind of like, oh, you know, it was a bit tweet, and it won't really you know, it won't mean anything. Let's just like have the moment and take it forward. It was and I think that also too, that gave them the commitment to have to go to the train station, so I think that was the reason for it. And I can't I bought into that.

Well.

I think it's it's a very romantic notion. If it was real life, you go, you really spun the dice on that one.

I love also that it picks by Friday, Dick picks by Friday.

I love her in New York at a similar time, you know, or at the same time. I thought that was a nice detail of like this sliding door moment that kind of went awry and they could have actually hooked up earlier, maybe saved themselves some painful relationships along the way.

But I thought that was a lovely detail.

And I know Julie Delbi's story about the Gun than the Guns in America was based on the actual experiences she had because I was watching it going I think she's telling that story, I go, wow, this is just such good acting that I am completely buying that these are experiences that actually happened.

To the characters, so she's tapping into real life.

It didn't surprise me when I read that that was something that she took out of her real life.

Yeah, it was. Look, I think there's some great This is one of the points that I kind of took away from it too, is that there's some really nice time capsules in there, more so than the first film. They were basically talking about, you know, without talking about it, but what became social media and the proliferation of social media, gun laws and the absurdity of gun control in America.

And I think what separates it from the first film is the young looking forward, you know, looking projecting about what life might become and what my life might be like. And I do feel like you really do get the sense that there has been life experience. I think if they made the film two years later, it's not an interesting film. I think the actors needed to, you know, I mean the other kind of imitating life.

I think that is awkward. Is that.

Is Ethan Hawk because he was married to Emma Thurman. So in the film, Jesse basically gets pregnant and they marry basically out of responsibility, and then ends up back in Paris, and we suspect, well we kind of know if we know there's a sequel, that probably he's staying when we'll get to the ending a bit later. But uma Thurman file around this around the time of this film,

Even to that.

Selene feels like she has. She's more confident in herself now, like she's I think Jesse doesn't dominate the first movie, but I think I feel like he talks more and I feel Selene talks more in this movie.

Yeah, and her accents changed as well. It doesn't seem as French.

Yeah, was she because she is well maybe she has spent time in the States or yeah.

Yeah.

And I don't know whether or not that was, you know, by design or not, but it felt like it was. It was just a little easy to catch all of the words.

I say that she doesn't have a traditional French accent, but I'm not sure that. Maybe when she speaks frenchhip it sounds more friendship, probably, but when she speaks English, her French is not a traditional French accent. Okay, I'm not sure that changed between the first and and the

Like in the modern erea, you hear that and go, no, you you remember it, don't you know? It's not good?

No, No, don't get to the Connus Louns Jesse. Now stats this.

Is this is not great. Yeah, it was interesting she said she could remember. I was like, you'd remember, yeah, because they only had a bottle of wine. Pete like, you know, seriously, if anybody's qualified to know the effects of alcohol, it's me, right, And I was going, No, you're in the parking at one bottle of red wine which you took from the bar because you had no money, so you didn't go and buy a subsequent alcohol because you didn't get down the bottle low because you had

You know, like he's a kendle Ah, that's a twist.

That's the third film, is that he's just got a mound, plastic mound.

Okay, So the idea of memory, I think it's become really interesting thing to discuss that. And we know later on that she does remember, and we'll get to that later on, but the idea that two people can experience the same thing but walk away with two different truths in a way like have you ever done a routine in comedy where you're maybe based on something real it's happened, but you've played around with some of the details of them, and then eventually you forget what was real and what wasn't.

Ye, it's not saying tell why enough times and you'll end up believing yourself. Yeah, yeah, I don't know what you may Yeah, so you reckon that's what it is.

Well, I don't necessarily think that, because we do find out later on that, like I said, that really does remember. But that moment has made me think of that and the way we frame memories and the way that two people could experience that same thing that say, neither come away with.

Two completely different A few points.

On any points.

Yeah, yeah, that's a good point. I mean, it's you can tell that they were both still very connected with each other, though, but it's so much of that connection and maybe this is one of the reasons why is it was not based and this is really really evident in the first film and then again in this second film. It's based on desire not on the lust right, It's neither of them are lusty films. Right, there's not like this kind of overwhelming or even really evident physical, strong

It's about connection totally.

It's about a physical a mental connection over physical connection, and it takes it out of that kind of lusty, particularly with the young when they were young, it's really evident. It's like, well, they're not lusting after each other. I mean at that age I would have been trying to take my five zero ones off at any point because I would have been wearing five z ones for sure. It's not you know, it wasn't like horny young people.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean I will say that Jesse is he's telling a little horny throughout this film, and I think more so than the first film in a way, like I think he But it makes sense because Jesse spent time and he's thought about he was the one who showed up, and then he's kind of made this plan to have this Yeah, very not really sought after a book tour

Waiting to see because he's got a wedding band. And it was after that it's like it's really clear, you know, he's got a wedding band, he is married. I'm like, when is she gonna ask about this? And there's no like little tells through that I saw anyway where she's like, you know, glancing at it or anything like that, or you know, there's no recognition from the director to show that she has clocked the fact that he's married and then all of a sudden it just kind of comes out.

Yeah, I would love that he if he actually, like without seeing him do it, but just notice at some point that he wasn't wearing the ring anymore, Like he kind of moment that he almost tried to not pull it over her eyes, but just kind of like, I will control the situation this conversation when I think I'm ready to have that conversation. Like if he goes through and not reveal that, then that's a very different thing. But that could have been a nice thing I think

You know, I think that book that I wrote, in a way, it was like building something so that I wouldn't forget the details of the time that we spent together, you know, like just as a.

Reminder that that once we really did meet, you know that this was real, this happened.

I'm happy you're saying that, because I mean, I always feel like a freak because I'm never able to move on like this. You know, people just have an affair or even entire relationships, they break up and I forget, they move on like they would have changed random cereals. I feel I was never able to forget anyone I've been with because each person that their own specific qualities. You can never replace anyone.

What as last is last. This is also a little bit imitating life because they write the first Richard linklater genius director had this experience where you know, he's been going before Sunrise experience where he walked the streets with this woman named Amy. So he actually wrote before Sunrise or helmed before Sunrise in the hope that maybe Amy.

Would get to identify herself.

Yeah, and she didn't.

And then she made He made Before Sunset hoping and she didn't reach.

Out quite a desperate And then and.

Then before Midnights, Please come on, you made a third film, you made a trilogy.

You're looking needy now, so it's un attractive, mate, She's not going to want you now.

It's a little it's a little clinging. Yeah.

And then before Midnight comes out. And around the time that comes out, before or after the premiere, a friend of Amy's contacts which later with a restraining order No no, with the sad news that she actually died in a motorcycle accident on May ninth, nineteen ninety four, so not long after. I think they had their experience at age twenty four, and that was I think that was a few weeks.

Before well, I've got nine ninety five.

I also written a few weeks before they shot before sunrise, but that doesn't add up because it was shot in the early two thousand. That's really sad. It reminds me of I'm a big weddings Parties Anything fan. There's a beautiful song they sing good for a short time, and that's a very similar story where the folk law and I don't know if it's been verified by Mick Thomas, who is, you know, the songwriter and lead singer of

Yeah, the urgency, yeah, the decision.

Yeah.

They also kind of worked Ethan Hawk and Julie Delby on this script before Sunday. They all worked together. There's there's the building blocks of a script basically similar to I guess the way perhaps Larry David does Kirby Your Enthusiasm, where it's like, this is the scene, this is what we're trying to achieve out of this thing.

I imagine there's a lot more. It looks a bit more.

Like a script than what Larry David does, because there's details in this and performances that, you know, more nuanced than the Curby Enthusiasm performances. As great as that is, but they then did a similar thing the first time they didn't get screen credit this time.

They got screen credit, just a little background stuff.

But did you think were you thinking, well, when did you first go, oh, he's not going to he's not going to get on there, or were you expecting the traditional rom com chase to the airport.

No.

I think there's a there's a moment where they jump on a barge like a boat, and they go down the same and I was like, okay, so what's happening you talk about there's the urgency of the ticking clock, and then that's the first time you just go, mate, you've got on a boat. Right. If you're getting on a boat, you're not getting on a plane. And that's when I went okay. And also too, there's two parts in that as well. Number One, it felt really loosely scripted.

And one of the challenges I think that would have been for this script is where do you get the tension?

Now?

The obvious because it's such like a lovely walk through Paris, The obvious thing is to have that the tension come from why weren't you there? Weren't why didn't you arrive? You know, yeah, surely you could have got word to me. So they decide not to go down the obvious path, and they come with this really interesting idea that the night they spent together set the bar so high as far as romance goes, it's kind of almost ruined Selene's

A cab, I think, on their way to drop her off.

I don't believe in anything that relates to love. I don't feel things for people anymore.

In a way, I put all.

My romanticism into that one night, and I was never able to feel all this again, Like somehow this night took things away from me and I expressed them to you, and you took them with you. It made me feel cold, like if love wasn't for me.

I don't believe that. I don't believe that.

You know what reality and love almost contradictory for me. It's funny every single of my exents, then they're married. Men go out with me, we break up, and then they get married, and later they called me to thank me for teaching them what love is, and that I taught them to care and respect women.

I think one of those, you know, I want to kill them.

We didn't ask me to marry them.

I would have said no, but at least I could have asked. But it's my fault.

I know it's my fault because I never felt it was the right man never, But what does it mean the right man, the love of your life? The concept is absurd. The idea that we can only be complete with another person is evil, right.

I mean, first of all, great line from Julie Delby. You know, why didn't I ask me the marria them? My order said no, But at least I could have asked. It was a great line. But it's a really I think it's a really fascinating point that she makes. You know, I had a relationship when I was aiding, my first serious relationship, and it did for you know, quite a

She's profoundly affected by the loss of love that she had. That's the thing that shaped it showed her thinking about how she would have formative relationships in a romantic level from there on. It was like set a precedent, set her thinking, set her bar for judgment as well. And like he's it's kind of funny when he says I

Agree in the real world.

Yeah, in the movie, I think what it's saying is this connection was so so power powerful and intense. Yeah, if your sister says that to you, you know, or maybe a partner who like, this is seven years outter. I'm sorry, I un neused guy to for hours and you'd be like, Okay, well I might be dodging a

I don't. I don't believe that because I don't think women learn anything from us because we don't offer enough. Just like, what do you what you learn from us? Is like they're really revolting we are like yeah, I don't know. Look, I think that it's and that's how they too. Like maybe if she has taught men about women, and that's a great thing that she's she's offered them, but she's not the right one for it. I don't know.

Get somebody with a sandwich board that says, Jesse, i'll be here tomorrow's dead. Then get a sandwich boy says fuck, you won't believe this. Nan died, Selene, we'll be back here tomorrow.

Tomorrow. It's Europe. She got this. So that's why I said to go, Oh, it's a bit rich to be complaining. He blame me.

It's a tricky And I had those thoughts as well, like I was trying to go Wow, she's really going for it here and going hire. She does eventually kind of say that was something that was pent up in her I think, I don't think.

It's the only point of friction in the film.

And you need that. So I understand from a movie point of view why they did. I think they did a really good job of like, you know, this is an emotional time and it's bringing it's a triggering time to bring up all these nostalgic memories, some good, some bad, not not just the night they spent together, but relationships since I think it's also really good that Selene almost defends Jesse's wife when he's from Memory's respectful, he's been

Wink.

Yeah, that wasn't very subtle, Selene, I know what you're saying. And also you kind of got this idea of it's not just a memory that Selene is dealing with, but it's just the memory. Then one version of that night, which is Jesse's book, Yeah, that she has read, and I think she eventually admits there are some things that were you know that we're hard to read.

Yeah, that also too, you know you feel as though being the subject of his book and knowing that the subject of the book was something you're waiting to see her address. Yes, and that's kind of where she addresses it.

And like it early when she kind of says in this book, so when I or she or who who?

That was lovely? Yeah, that was like and it was, But you know that there's going to be like, there's no way known you can have a book written about you essentially a moment that you're you know, obviously very involved in a pivotal into the story, that you can't not bring that up a bit and have some sort

They reject any of the Like I said, the obvious opportunities for conflict and tension being that where the fuck were you know, yeah, in that on the sandwich board. I do feel sorry for the poor driver who's in basically a tunnel at a boom gates behind him. Then they didn't give me a pass at least having a boomgate leting park inside.

And also I was thinking about like reversing out of there would.

Have been behind you get it out cooked.

Yes, And because they go in, it works because that this tension of like are they going in to listen to the song?

No?

Well, I think Jesse knows why. He's what he's hoping for.

Selene, is you know it's we suspect that she is on a similar page, but we don't know if it's going to anything's going to happen. Yeah, she makes a cup of tea. I suspect when this driver outside at a boomgate, don't make a cup of tea.

She plays it the song. I think this ending.

Songs wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be, just this small point. I thought it was gonna be hard.

That's actually imagine it was so awful that she couldn't sing at all. It's like playing this song.

It's just the song she says she's written, but it's a nickelback.

Around.

No, I think this works gonna perfectly, and we get the payoff for all those moments where you need to get you need to get on you, you need to get to the airport. You need to catch up plane. You need to catch up plane. He rings the driver, he's published it. Make sure you're on that plane. Make sure you're on that plane. And yes, the let's have a little let's listen to the closing scene.

Maybe you are gonna miss that plane. I know.

So it's kind of perfect because you never see them kiss. No outside of you know, the French kiss on the you know, the caisse on the euro Pain kiss on the cheeks.

Both sides.

I think it's kind of perfect.

And again to come up with a ending that is in a similar vein to the before Sunrise, I don't think you could do the same thing. But let's meet again, but have this I guess the question is, Okay, we assume he stays, what does happen next and which would lead us to before Midnight?

But the timeline has changed, the time horizon, it's now different. So the first one was will he come back in six months? Will she come back in six months? This is where will they be in five years? How will this relationship develop? If they co habit, if they you know, he leaves his wife and his child, how will it evolve? She could move to America, she's been there before, so you don't kind of know. Like the question is not

And what was this connection they made in Vienna intense and amazing and wonderful because they knew they had that finite time. I'm sure we've all had relationships where you kind of think back and go, go, what this is a sliding doors kind of exercise.

What would my life look like if I move countries?

Or doesn't think that'd be a romantic relationship, but this is exploring these sliding doors moments and you kind of go, Okay, this was an intense you know, twelve hours, twenty four hours, whatever it was. How does this couple work when it's day in, day out, twenty four hours a day the grind. Some fun facts before we move on. A couple of people outside Selene's apartment, actually her parents, Albert Delpi and

The longer.

Obviously we should wanted to point out that because this is there moving through Paris at a certain time of the day. This is necessarily said over twenty four hours or at night, so they had to get the light. They only had a few hours of shooting every day, and they need shot for fifteen days, so it's all shot. So they had to shoot at the right time of

Really perform, perform, you know the lines, be prepared and be in the moment every time. What's great is that their performance, their character performance, is the same as it was in the first one. Do you believe that it's the same person.

Yea, yeah, yeah, Ethan Hawk's cheek bones are a bit sharper, so fifteen days to shoot most days are as hot as a hot summer in Paris, thirty eight degrees most days, Jesus.

Yeah.

The longest take eleven minutes. Some of you are watching and going these are long.

There's a walking secret he's going, this is going like when they're on the long walk. Yeah, this is a long scene.

I think it's a real lesson when you watch it, and for those who haven't seen it yet or will watch it again, there's something about the power of not editing, not cutting away, not going for those closers, which we all you know, most films will do. Directors will do to get themselves coverage so they can edit later on. And you know, if it's one shot, it's impossible to edit.

So it's all about time. So they make it so much in real time, and it make you feel like it's in real time. Those longest scenes, Yeah, give you that sense.

Editing can do amazing things. You know, you can edit for the last you can edit for pain. But there's no need for later to show off in any of this, and he doesn't, and that's great.

That it makes him genius.

I think Julliabbie's agent tried to dissuade her from making this movie. He caught it a stupid movie that nobody's going to see. And he fired her the day that she said, no, fuck you, I'm doing it.

He fighted her.

He fighted her.

Man, that's cool. It seems like a cool dude. Yeah, that's like a kid going to school and go I want to do a mass. Then they go, no, We're going to just do a little bit joke while I'm sacking you don't get me a messager.

Particularly there's being a sequel, whether this fact that I'd read was left over from Before Sunrise? But if it's true to this before this film, to work with Richard later at Ethan Hawk for that experience for fifteen days, it seems like a no brain. Obviously, there's rehearsal periods that the commitment longer than fifteen days. Merck, watch this podcast Country of Homework. Like I said, it was a trap from the start. You didn't know that doing before

Are you looking forward to seeing where before midnight comes.

More so than before sunset? I want to see whether or not this passion and this moment is an enduring moment, or if it is actually just only in the brightness of those circumstances. Yes, I'm looking forward to it.

I'm looking forward to it. All I know.

I want to say divorce, though I want a divorce. I want to see some unhappiness in the next one.

I think there is the doors are blown open where you can get conflict. In this next one you can, you can almost rebuild them a little bit. All I know is I think it's set in grease. So we go to Greece, which is a nice change of pace, nice nice change of scenery. So I'm looking forward to that. So next six season on, you ain't see nothing yet, You'll come back and do before midnight. Merrick Watts, you are my great friend, my greatest friend in comedy, my

Is back with the volume two, Volume two six New Wines four new jokes. At this stage, I've already written I'm such a nerd. I read it months ago. I really did, I'm such a nerd. Yeah, it's great.

I'm looking forward to And so for those who don't know, you don't just go along and watch you drink wine.

Now, everyone drinks wine. Everyone in the audience. Everyone in the audience drinks six.

Wines, including your ticket price along you just you just.

Take the wine, sit down, and I'll do the rest. It's like I really just turned my comedy show into being a waiter. So enjoy it.

You could even go in and take headphones and drink the wine.

I would do that. Just go sorry, I'm having a silent disco Marriic. Just keep going the wine. Thanks mate, great to be here, mate.

Well there it is.

We're sue out of three done before sunset. That is a wrap on with my great mate Merrick once. I was really looking forward to watching the film and then chatting to him about it. We're going to give ourselves some time because I do think these movies need a bit of time between viewing. I kind of in a way don't recommend just binging them over a night or a few days. Like we often do with television, give yourself some time to live between these movies because they are set quite a few years apart.

We won't wait for years.

It'll be the next season of If You Ain't See Nothing Yet, where Mens will come back and finish the Before trilogy.

But thank you so much to.

MESI is one of the busiest men in showbiz and I really appreciate him coming in and doing his homework too. Thank you to you for listening to this episode and to the season. If you enjoy You Ain't See Nothing Yet. The best thing you can do for us is to go to iTunes or you listen to your podcast but iTunes and give us a five star rating and say nice things, leave a review.

It does help. It does keep the algorithm moving, which I'm told is a good thing. Thank you.

Thank you for listening, and you can get on our speak Pipe would love to hear your voices on this podcast. If you have any questions or comments about movies we've covered, or movies that you hear that we're going to cover it in the future, please let us.

Know next week on the show. This is a big one.

It's a returning guest. My great mate Limo. He's been on the show before. I think the series one. He did the with Nayle and i UK cult comedy classic. Then more recently he did Chinatown, which was fun. We enjoyed that one. Jack at his best. But next week we're going to a bit sillier. It's a comedy heavyweight, this one, and there's a lot to talk about. It's not necessarily a simple film to talk about. There are

We've been a pleasant, good name