25 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die

Possibly cheating, but it's hard to narrow down which of Richard Linklater's “Before” trilogy is the best. The director's most recent picture was Boyhood, which followed the entire childhood of one kid in real time and thus took decades to shoot. The Before films, meanwhile, follow the shifting relationship of a couple over an even longer space.

The first film sees backpackers Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply meeting on a train, and walking around Vienna killing time before they leave by talking about...well, anything the two actors wanted, since the production was largely improvised. Before Sunset picks up with them reuniting years later, at a Paris book launch for Hawke's character.

The recent third instalment had the two finally married, and possibly not making good on the romantic promise of their former brief encounters. Each film is lyrical, beautifully shot, and – most importantly – expertly acted by Hawke and Delpy. A trilogy of heartfelt philosophical musings on the nature of love that you absolutely need in your life.