The Before series of movies has to be one of the most involving series of movies I have ever seen. The aspect of time is so emphasized in this series its hard to compare it to anything else. Much of the movie you are comparing the film you are watching to other Before films and it easy to see the similarities and differences between the three films. The Before series is a series of movies that spans over 20 years and follows to characters by the name of Jesse and Celine. They start off their adventures on a train on a sunny morning and decide to head over to the cafe car and get to know each other a little bit more. They get off in the city of Vienna and begin the next 24 hours that would determine the rest of their lives, without them knowing. They spend the following hours traveling the city and getting to know each other on a deeper level and soon build a strong connection. Their day soon comes to and end and they decide to meet at the train station six months from that day. But not everything goes accordingly. Fast forward nine years and we catch up with Jesse at a book signing. He is now a successful writer and is in the city of Paris. His book that brought him to fame was about the night he had nine years ago with Celine. He wrote the book in hopes of finding Celine again because they date they had set to meet did not work out for one of them. Celine could not make it to the meeting date because her grandmother had passed away a few days prior. But during this book signing Jesse was in for a surprise because his efforts had paid off. Celine found him and they begin their day of catching up. We discover that Jesse is married and had a child and Celine on the other hand has not done too much in terms of a family. Nevertheless, we follow the two though the beautiful city of Paris and learn about the two just as they are learning about each other all over again. We discover that Jesse is not very pleased with his marriage but is staying together with his wife for his child. This was a key part of the movie because it leads directly into the next film. Fast forward another nine years, we catch up with Jesse and his son in an airport. Jesse is saying goodbye to Hank because he is headed back to Chicago to his mother. This was no big deal because at this moment we think that he is just working in Europe and nothing else. But the moment Jesse steps out of the airport we realize what is going on. Jesse now lives in Europe with Celine and they have twin daughters, this was a big moment. They soon head off on their vacation that they have planned and meet many people that have stories like them. And they are all surrounded by people that are filled with love for eachother. They soon being to have problems and Celine drops a huge ball on Jesse and he doesnt want to let the last 20 years go to waste. The Mist by Frank Darabont was a thrilling movie about a family and a town. David and his family we assessing damage from a storm that had recently gone through their town and discovers he needed supplies to fix his house. So David, his son, and his neighbour head to the hardware store to buy supplies. Little did David know that was the last time he was going to see his wife. Once at the store a fog starts to settle in, the townies don't understand what is going on but one man comes running out of the fog and says he saw something but it was hard to make out what. As the movies goes on we slowly see the people start turning on each other and see people divide. But as the clues to what is going on start to arise we see what exactly is going on. The end of the film is really a crazy outcome and I dont think the general viewers expected it. Both of these films have much more in common than meets the eye. The Mist is a thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat asking for more. The Before series does the same but the approach is slightly different. Before uses the advantage of time to create hype for what is about to come. The long scenes that go on for longer than they seem like they should are very realistic, that was so the audience feels like the film is in real time. As we follow Jesse and Celine throughout the years we as an audience have much more anticipation for the next step. The Mist uses time a little bit differently, since it is a thriller. The fast scenes and quick camera transitions make it seem like they movie is going along extremely fast, when in reality we are watching a few days go by in a few minutes. In addition to the use of time the similarities go even deeper. The use of lighting was also a big feature in these films. The Mist used it to its advantage because at night the condition would get very dangerous and the flying bugs would come out. This use of nightfall is obviously very common throughout many films and it was definitely a hint that something about was about to happen. When compared to the Before films they use light in a similar way. At the beginning of the first film they are on a train in the morning and they are just getting to know each other. As the movie comes to an end they are sitting on a field and its dark this could either mean something bad was about to happen or something unwanted. And in the next few scenes the morning arises and they have to say goodbye. Although not entirely the same the similarity is there.
In addition to the use of time, the camera work was also hand in hand with the use of time. For those long shots that really added to the presence of the scene the camera had to be pointed at the same people for a really long time. This was a really remarkable park of the movie because the actors had to remember their line for much longer times and the camera really got a good look at all the context of the scene. Where when you compare it to The Mist the camera work in that film was actually the complete opposite. The fast paced movements were hard to follow giving you the illusion that the film was fast paced and everyone was in a panic. The long scenes made it feel as if they situation was completely peaceful unlike the fast and abrupt changes in camera in The Mist. Overall, these two movies had a few similarities and differences that stood out to me. Both films had two different ways of keeping the audience engaged in the plot of the film. The long nine year wait we have to endure to find out what happens next is very comparable to the thrilling wait we have to endure scene to scene in The Mist.
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