Before Midnight Page #17

Jesse sits down right across from her.

108.

CELINE:

Okay, I'm not in the mood - I came

here to be alone.

JESSE:

Yeah, listen. I've just been checking

you out from across the cafe and I

don't want to make you uncomfortable,

but you're by far the best looking

woman in this place.

CELINE:

Thank you very much.

JESSE:

I'd love to buy you a drink, maybe

talk to you, get to know you a little

bit... you know. Are you here on

business?

Nothing.

JESSE (CONT'D)

Ok.. You have a boyfriend?

CELINE:

Not anymore.

JESSE:

Sorry to hear that. God, you want

to talk about it?

CELINE:

I don't talk to strangers.

JESSE:

But that's the thing, I'm not a

stranger. No, we've met before...

summer '94.

CELINE:

You are mistaking me for someone

else.

JESSE:

No, we even fell in love.

CELINE:

Really? I vaguely remember someone

sweet and romantic, who made me feel

I wasn't alone anymore. Someone who

had respect for who I was.

JESSE:

That's me. I'm that guy.

109.

CELINE:

I don't think so.

JESSE:

Well, see, I know something about

tonight that you don't know.

CELINE:

Really. What is that?

JESSE:

Something important. See, I know

because I've actually already lived

through this night.

CELINE:

How?

JESSE:

I'm a time traveler.

CELINE:

Okay.

JESSE:

I have a time machine up in my room.

I've come to save you just like I

said I would.

CELINE:

Save me from what?

JESSE:

Save you from being blinded by all

the little bullshit of life.

CELINE:

It's not bullshit.

JESSE:

I assure you, that guy you vaguely

remember, the sweet romantic one who

you met on a train? That is me.

CELINE:

That's you?

JESSE:

Yeah.

CELINE:

Guess I didn't recognize you... you

look like sh*t.

110.

JESSE:

What can I say? I mean, it's tough

out there in time and space. You,

on the other hand are even more

beautiful than I remember.

CELINE:

Bullshit! Jesse, this is not a game.

You get all cute, you get in my

panties and the next thing I know,

I'm buying peanut butter in Chicago.

You're not going to make it better

by some little pick up line.

JESSE:

I'm not trying to pick you up - no,

no, you misunderstood me. I'm only

here as a messenger. I've just

traveled all the way from the future.

I was just with your 82 year old

self who gave me a letter to read to

you. So here I am.

CELINE:

I'm still alive in my 80's?

JESSE:

OOOHHHH YEAH.

CELINE:

How's my French ass?

JESSE:

Nice. Really nice.

CELINE:

I don't care about the way I look.

JESSE:

Let's just say, there's even more of

you to love. Okay, do you want me

to read the letter to you?

CELINE:

Do I have a choice?

JESSE:

Oh sure, I mean, if you're not

interested in what you have to say...

CELINE:

No, no, no. Read it.

111.

JESSE:

Okay, here I go. Dear Celine, I'm

writing to you from the other side

of the woods. This letter is lighting

a candle...

CELINE:

Okay stop it. I would never write

this - it's too flowery, "Other side

of the woods," what f***ing woods?

What're you talking about?

JESSE:

May I please continue?

CELINE:

Okay.

JESSE:

I am sending you this young man.

Yes, young - and he will be your

escort. God knows, he has many

problems and has struggled his whole

life connecting and being present

even with those he loves the most.

And for that he is deeply sorry but

you are his only hope. Celine,

my advice to you is this: you are

entering the best years of your life.

Looking back from where I sit now

these middle years are only a little

bit more difficult then when you

were 12 and Mathieu and Vanessa danced

all night to the Bee Gee's "How deep

is your love." Celine, you will be

fine. Your girls will grow up to

become examples and icons of feminism.

CELINE:

Nice one.

JESSE:

Yeah, well, you know what I just

noticed, there's a Post Script at

the bottom, looks kind of important.

Maybe I should just skip over the

rest of this boring stuff and get to

that?

CELINE:

Yeah, skip away. Please, skip away.

JESSE:

Okay. You sure?

112.

CELINE:

Yeah.

JESSE:

Okay, all right, well.

CELINE:

The boring stuff.

Jesse scoots his chair closer to her.

JESSE:

Yeah. Okay.

(looks around, lowers

his voice)

Yeah, it's like financial tips,

horoscopes, boring stuff. Okay, here

it is... P.S. By the way, the best

sex of my life happened one night in

the Southern Peloponnese. Don't

miss it. My whole sexual being went

to a new, ground-breaking level.

CELINE:

Ground-breaking. Great.

JESSE:

Yeah, I don't know what that means.

CELINE:

Okay, Jesse, can you stop this stupid

game? We're not in one of your

stories. Okay? Did you hear what I

said to you back in the room? Did

you hear me?

JESSE:

Yes, I heard you - that you don't

love me anymore. I figured you didn't

mean it but if you did, then f***

it. You know something? You're

just like the little girls and

everybody else - you want to live in

some fairy tale. I'm just trying to

make things better here. I tell you

I love you unconditionally, I tell

you that you're beautiful, I tell

you that your ass looks great when

you're 80. I'm trying to make you

laugh. I put up with plenty of your

sh*t, and if you think I'm just some

dog who's gonna keep coming back

then, you're wrong. But if you want

true love - this is it.

(MORE)

113.

JESSE (CONT'D)

This is real life. It's not perfect,

but it's real. And if you can't see

it, then you're blind, alright? I

give up.

Jesse crumples up the napkin/letter he was reading from and

tosses it on the table. What follows is a lengthy silent

sequence where they just sort of stare at each other,

seemingly going through everything past and present.

CELINE:

So what about this time machine?

JESSE:

What do you mean?

CELINE:

How does it work?

JESSE:

Well... it's complicated.

CELINE:

Am I going to have to get naked to

operate it?

Jesse's mood shifts, and the camera starts to slowly pull

away from them as they continue talking.

JESSE:

Yeah, actually. Yeah, it's been a

real issue, you know, clothes don't

travel well through the whole space-

time continuum.

CELINE:

(bimbo voice)

Wow. You're so smart.

JESSE:

Oh, Jesus.

CELINE:

Space-time...?

JESSE:

Continuum.

CELINE:

'Continuum.'

JESSE:

Yeah.

114.

CELINE:

Wow.

JESSE:

You know, there's something I have

been thinking about, about your

letter. You mention something about

the southern Peloponesse? We're in

the southern Peloponesse.

CELINE:

Yeah?

JESSE:

Do you think it could be tonight

that you're still talking about in

your 80s?

CELINE:

Well, it must have been one hell of

a night we're about to have.

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