Before Midnight - 2013 - 5 Stars

Actors:  Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director:  Richard Linklater

Does the Before trilogy work as films?  I guess that's my only real issue with the series - could there be another form in which to present these ideas?  I don't think so.  While these films frequently feature long takes and long conversations, there's still little interspersed moments of humanity that the artificiality of a play couldn't capture.  As a work on the page, the temptation would be to give us readers the thoughts of the characters as they're saying this stuff, making it seem formal and staid.  No, this series works not only because of the writing, but because of the superb acting - it's so good because it so rarely seems like acting.  And even with all the speaking being done, there are still things left unspoken.  Regardless, even though it does not take advantage of everything film has to offer, it's a magnificent work of art.