Bernie
An absurdest comedy based on a true story, here’s another example of Linklater taking a very personal, specific story and shining a spotlight on it. Jack Black is terrific in the titular role as he helps strike the note on what the rest of the film is going to feel like. Darkly comedic with hints of drama in Bernie’s self-doubt and insecurity, Linklater turned this small town into a whole world.
Before Midnight
The greatest achievement in the third film of the “Before” trio logy is how Linklater stripped back any ounce of romanticism and instead replaced it with storytelling that was frank, brutally honest and almost painful to watch as two characters we loved needled one another in ways that only people you care about can. Instead of waxing poetic about life the two fought, instead of sharing silent and secret moments they argued and tried to get as far away from each other as possible. While I count myself among the few that believe that as the two sat alone at the end of the night, tired but Jesse still believing in the them that made these films, that they would bolster up enough faith in their relationship to keep going, it is heartbreaking to watch such beloved characters tear one another apart.
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