Richard Linklater's "Before" Series: Time, Duration, and Memory

This thesis investigates the relationship between the films in Richard Linklater’s “Before” series, Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013). Linklater’s career is full of experiments with narrative structure and time. But, the “Before” series is unique among these experiments, and among other series because of the strategy Linklater used to produce it: what this thesis refers to as Linklater’s strategy of duration. This thesis argues that Linklater uses his strategy of duration to explore what it means to be in time. In turn, this creates a temporal experience for the spectator that highlights being in time and their own temporality. Situating this series amongst various approaches to temporality showcases how its simple story belies a complex and multifaceted expression of being in time.