Through Time: The Endurance of Love in ‘Quiet Movies’

 

By Jinky Mae Aduana

In the cinematic world, quiet movies are making a revolution. From the name itself, quiet movies are films that employ quietness, not just in the technical aspects, i.e. sound design and cinematic shots, but also both in the plot and in the dialogue. In these movies, nothing much happens in the scenes, but such scenes are shown nonetheless not exactly for the advancement of the plot but to give time for the audiences to immerse themselves and soak all the emotions in. It is also common for quiet movies to have fewer supporting characters as the story is zoomed in on the protagonists themselves and how their relationship progresses overtime.

Many quiet movies are taking the spotlight in international film festivals, such as Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun, Luca Guadanigno’s Call Me by Your Name, and Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea, consistently garnering awards and nominations. All these movies are hushed, but it is the actors’ portrayal of the characters and the interesting dialogues that add flare to an otherwise plain and simple storyline. 

 Before Trilogy and Past Lives. One who is familiar with these movies knows that their common denominator is not just the portrayal of love as experienced by everyday people in every walk of life, but the lasting effect of love that pulls two people together in spite of distance and time. All these movies follow the story of their respective protagonists whose relationship undergoes through changes but still lingers through time, and solidifies the notion that indeed, true love transcends time. In this article, each movie will be examined to determine how each movie proves that love always comes back. Some odds may never be in the characters' favor, but these instances add complexity to their maze-like arcs and stories. And, just like any maze there is a way out, and it will always arrive at the doorstep of true love.  

Before Trilogy: Only True Love Immortalizes Ups & Survives Downs

What better way to show love between two common people than to showcase a real-life story that the creator has experienced himself? 

Before Trilogy is a celebrated three-part romantic series that chronicles the love of Celine and Jesse from when they first met as twenty-somethings in a train and decided to spend the night together wandering through the streets of Vienna to the eventual life that they had as a disillusioned middle-aged couple. It is composed of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight, wherein all movies are set and filmed in nine-year intervals. The first movie, Before Sunrise, is based on a real-life encounter that the creator, Richard Linklater, had with a woman he met at a toy shop in America named Amy. Similar to the plot of Before Sunrise, the two frolicked the streets of Philadelphia and talked about any topic they could topic of: art, philosophy, life, and how messed up and beautiful it can be, all amidst stolen kisses and flirtations.  However, Richard Linklater’s own Celine died a year before the release of Before Sunrise, explaining why Richard did not hear from Amy despite their one-night adventure being shown on the big screen and to the whole world. Fortunately, the second part of the trilogy, Before Sunset, takes a different turn as we see Celine and Jesse seeing each other again in Paris nine years after they parted ways, all during Jesse’s French leg of his book tour. As you may have guessed it, his book is a tell-all tale about the night he had with Celine. The movie ends with Jesse missing his flight to stay with Celine, paving the way for the third installment, Before Midnight, which delves into the life of Jesse and Celine as parents to twin girls. Perhaps Before Midnight is the only movie of the trilogy that deals with the reality of love in life. In the first two movies, we see two beautiful people living an idealistic portrayal of love as they connected with each other through the interesting, sometimes contradicting ideas they have about almost everything while walking the idyllic town of Vienna at midnight in the first movie and scouring through the alleys of Paris and having more mature conversations with each other in the second. However, the third movie grounds their romance as Jesse has to deal with the strained relationship with his son who lives with his ex-wife, while Celine encounters issues in her career. In this movie, they argue and fight but still end up reconciling with one another, whatever problem they face. 

The beauty of Before Trilogy is its relatability, which can be alluded to by its creator’s real-life encounter. This cult classic is considered as one of the ten best trilogies ever, and achieving that with a romance trope is not easy. When Jesse wrote a book about his encounter with Celine, and with Celine going back over and over again, they have proven that true love immortalizes ups, while the third movie shows them realizing that their fantasies about love may never match the imperfect reality, but at least it's real, proves that only true love survives downs.  

Past Lives: Only True Love Leaves a Mark

Sometimes, one will only realize that love is true when it is gone. Only then will the regrets and what-ifs pour in, all fueled by love, while every precious might-have-been is wasted by taking everything else for granted. 

Past Lives is a Korean language film by A24 and the brainchild of filmmaker Celine Song. It follows the relationship of two childhood friends, Nora and Hae Sung, as they contemplate their relationship while they grow apart to have different lives. Just like Before Trilogy, it encapsulates simplicity, directness, and authenticity. Similar to the concept of invisible string, the movie is built upon the concept of inyun, a Korean concept that means providence or fate. In this concept, it is understood that in any place in time you meet someone, you will meet again by circumstance. This is a recurring theme that we will see in the movie when the characters are both close together and far apart. Past Lives is a story that revolves around lost love and childhood crush, how someone still lingers on slim chances of probability, and the willingness one can have just to make that small probable chance a reality. 

Nora and Hae Sung were Korean tweens who were in the infant stages of love. However, Nora’s family moves to the United States of America, leaving Hae Sung in Korea. In a span of two decades, they have been in touch with each other through Skype calls and eventual visits, both medium transcending distance and time. After 12 years of starting their fling, Hae Sung reaches out to Nora via Facebook and rekindles the connection they once had. However, Nora, being the career woman that she is, had to put an end to it as she was starting to fall in love with a man who did not even go to see her, on top of wanting to focus on her writing career. Eventually, Nora married a Jewish American and a fellow writer while not letting the connection she has with Hae Sung wither away. 12 years after stopping their rekindled romance and 24 years after their puppy love, Hae Sung decided to visit Nora in New York. This decision leads to the final act of the movie, undoubtedly the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching. 

In the final act, Nora, her husband, and Hae Sung go out to have drinks together. Since Hae Sung is not fluent in English, Nora had to talk to him in Korean, and so they did. Hooked and taken aback by the conversation, they have become unaware that Nora’s husband is being alienated. In this instance, the viewers will then witness the realizations that the two have, especially regarding their relationship. In the stagnation of their relationship, Hae Sung admits to Nora that perhaps this life might already be a past life. The movie ends with Nora hailing an Uber for Hae Sung. Before hopping on an Uber, he tells her that he’ll see her in their next life. The curtain closes with Nora breaking down after he left, being comforted by her husband. 

Past Lives is the epitome of what a quiet movie is. It is very slow-paced with a simple story, but the emotions will really come in after the closing act. For the majority of the film, only Nora and Hae Sung are focused on, with only one supporting character. The timeline of the movie, which spans more than two decades, is what makes it more gut-wrenching as sometimes, it takes that long for someone to accept that it will not really work out. Or, maybe it would, in a past life but certainly not in this life. 

Before Trilogy & Past Lives: Tales of Enduring Love that Transcends Distance and Time

Perhaps what makes both of these movies appealing to the audiences is their authenticity and how common yet complex their storylines are; common in the sense that everyday people can be and are involved in such complications, and complex insofar as love does not just happen even if two people have feelings for each other. Life itself is another set of debacles that love must face, and if one bows down to the realities of life, then love will stay a fantasy. However, true love does not always have to be romantic, and this is a pattern we see across the movies chosen. Making a love work does not just involve romance but all types of love. The kind of love that will make you travel to the other end of the world to meet the woman you long for who is already married, the kind of love that will make you miss your flight and throw away the life you have curated for a stranger you met on a train, the kind of love that will have you accept whatever flaws your partner has, and the kind of love that you know exists just by seeing them talk to each other. The dialogue in both movies is raw and unfiltered, and they do not have to agree on everything. Sometimes, disagreeing with another while learning and letting them learn is a whole other type of love. The timeline that spans more than two decades is also strengthening the argument that true love endures changes, both in distance and time, and despite whatever problems between two people who love each other, these movies are a testament that love stays. It may be layered with anguish, sadness, disgust, or even hate, but real, genuine love stays. It endures, it copes, it lingers, it shows, and it stays.